


For Love of A Man With History

by EuphoricMother



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Declarations Of Love, Desire, F/M, Family Secrets, Fanfiction, First Kiss, Fluff and Smut, French Kissing, Love Confessions, Marriage Proposal, Oral Sex, Porn with Feelings, Post-Time Skip, Post-War, Pregnancy, Pregnant Sex, Saints, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:53:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28920885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EuphoricMother/pseuds/EuphoricMother
Summary: Byleth's interest in Seteth grew with each passing day as they worked together to bring a United Fodlan to prosperity.  Seteth's interest in Byleth grew as well, but he had reservations about telling her his past and who he really was.  His attempts to alter her fascination with this subject were often met with only renewed determination on her part. Determination that whittled his resolve.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Seteth
Comments: 28
Kudos: 81





	1. Chapter 1

Byleth rested back in her large bed staring at the wall as she layed, sprawled on her stomach, with the pillow bunched under her head. A soft growl of exasperation rattled in her throat. Why she couldn’t fall asleep tonight she had no idea, but it was clear that her brain was not going to allow her the luxury just yet. Frowning, she decided she would walk out to the third-floor balcony outside her room and get a bit of air. Perhaps it would help.

Her eyes wandered over the monastery grounds as she stood on the balcony. As usual, knights were quietly patrolling the grounds. A soft breeze blew over her causing her to wrap her robe closed over her pale blue nightgown and tie the belt. Perhaps, a bit of tea would help her relax a bit. Then again, she considered a bit of easy work she could do that might just tire her enough. Combination of the two was bound to work, she decided.

Padding downstairs on bare feet, she silently acknowledged a knight guarding the office floors on her way to her office with a brief wave of her hand. Her trip was halted as her eyes caught the dim light from Seteth’s office causing her brows to lower. Surely no one would dare to sneak into his office, especially with a guard on the floor. Carefully, so as not to scare any possible intruder, she walked to his office door and peered in to find Seteth busy with quill in hand.

He was not dressed in his usual vestments, but a white button-down shirt that had the top couple of buttons undone. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. She couldn’t recall ever seeing him without his formal garb and rather liked the idea that there was a less disciplined Seteth persona hiding within him after all. As she watched him a moment, she wondered if he worked late like this often. Not being able to help herself, she slowly stepped into the doorway. “I hope you aren’t having to work at this hour because you think I’m too hard on you,” she softly teased.

Seteth, a bit startled by her sudden appearance, stared at Byleth a moment before answering. “Of course not.” His eyes drifted over her robe a moment before he asked, “What are you doing up so late?”

“I could ask you the same question,” she countered as she took a couple of steps into the office. “As for me, I cannot seem to sleep tonight. I thought I would try to work a bit.” She lifted a shoulder. “Perhaps have some tea to relax me.” She watched him set his quill down and sit back in his chair. “And you?”

“The same, I am afraid. Yet I had not considered having tea,” he admitted quietly.

“Well, feel free to chase me off, but would you consider having a cup of tea with me and a bit of conversation instead of work?” She toyed with her lower lip with her teeth a moment. “Might be a bit more relaxing than us plowing through documents and requests.”

He regarded her carefully as she stood near the door. She had a point. Perhaps, a bit of conversation would help what was really keeping him awake. “All right.”

“Perfect. I’ll get the tea. Preference?”

He smiled now. “No. Whatever you select will be fine.”

“I’ll be back.” She stopped at the door and looked back. “It is okay to have it in here?” She watched him nod. “Oh, and do not bother with putting on that jacket,” she stated as she pointed to his vestment hanging on the rack. “If I am in my robe, you can manage to stay casual as well.”

Seteth watched her disappear before he put the cap on his ink smiling to himself as he did so. Although he was not accustomed to being so casual with anyone outside of Flayn, he did rather like the idea of not having to adorn his jacket again to simply have late night tea with the new Queen of Fodlan. Standing now, he picked up the candle and set it on the table in front of the facing sofas in his office and waited for her to return.

As Byleth entered the office with the tray of tea and a small plate of some fruit, Seteth moved to take it from her and set it on the table. Extending his hand toward the sofa he said, “Please, make yourself comfortable.”

“Thank you for agreeing to talk to me a bit,” Byleth said as she sat down. “I don’t know why I am so unsettled this evening.” She watched him pour the tea for them and smiled as she took the cup he offered her. “Is there something that is keeping you from sleeping? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Taking a sip of the tea, he appreciated that she had picked the angelica tea, wondering if she remembered it was one of his favorites. “As a matter of fact, there is. However, I will spare you the details,” he quietly stated as he stared at the liquid in his cup.

Byleth’s eyes carefully studied him a moment. It was no secret that Flayn had gone off recently with Linhardt. No doubt, this was causing him unrest since she knew the truth of their relationship with each other. “I’m sure, where ever she went, she is well cared for,” she offered now as she tucked her feet up under herself and adjusted her robe. “Linhardt is a fine young man. Intelligent and caring.”

Seteth’s eyes lifted to look at Byleth as she sat in front of him. She was probably the only person here now that he could openly speak with if he dared to do so. Truth be known, he had allowed himself to feel somewhat close to her as their relationship had grown over the years since that first meeting when he had scrutinized every move she made. “Am I that transparent?”

“It’s only natural that you would be worried. I can’t imagine her not sending you a message soon,” Byleth said now. She allowed her gaze to wander over him as he sat across from her bringing a long list of questions regarding this man to mind. Questions she would love to have the answers to but not because of pure curiosity. She wanted to know because she knew she was growing fonder of him with each passing day. “You can’t lose sleep every night worrying about her though. Surely, you know that.”

He let out a slow sigh. “I do know this,” he stated now in a defeated tone, “and yet, each time my mind becomes idle, I cannot help but find myself wondering where she has gone, if she is safe, and why she has not sent some word.” He set his cup on the table as he leaned forward now, his elbows resting on his knees as he leaned forward and stared at the teapot. “She must know how worried I am.”

Setting her cup down now as well, she got up and moved to sit beside him on the sofa, her hand reaching out and coming to rest on his forearm as he continued to lean forward. “Seteth, there comes a time when every father has to let their daughter go.”

He turned his head and looked at Byleth now, his thoughts in such turmoil that he hadn’t even considered that she was touching him. A gesture, that any other time, would have made him a bit uncomfortable due to his growing attraction. This time, however, he found it rather comforting. “Ours is not the usual circumstance, I am afraid.”

“What makes it so different?” she pressed. “You are the father of a daughter you have had to raise without her mother. Not so different from my own circumstance.” Her brows furrowed a moment. “And my father was also pretty protective,” she quietly muttered as she considered a slight parallel. “What is it with fathers and daughters anyway?”

Seteth slightly smiled now. “The desire to protect them from anything at all that could do harm of any kind. Love.”

Byleth’s eyes studied Seteth’s face as he looked at her. The dim candlelight casted shadow over most of it, but she knew each detail despite this. “Seteth,” she began now in a slow manner, “you told me once that you are appear much younger than you are.”

“Please, do not ask.” He felt he had to sway her away from this information. If she knew the truth, he feared she would recoil, and the thought of her retreating from him but for pure business interaction only, greatly saddened him.

“Come now, it can’t be that bad.” 

“I believe we were talking about Flayn and her seeming elopement with one of your former students,” he said in an attempt to redirect.

Byleth regarded him carefully for a moment as she removed her hand from his arm. “All right. How old is Flayn?” She watched Seteth’s eyes momentarily widen as if she had uttered some profane insult at him.

“I do not understand your interest in age,” Seteth said now as he sat back. “Isn’t there another topic we could discuss in an effort to relax enough to retire to our rooms?”

One corner of her mouth lifted as she looked at him. “You had no problem asking me my age one day in this very office. Along with a few other personal questions,” she pointed out as she recalled his interrogation shortly after she started at the monastery.

“That…that was different. I needed to gather information on you for the safety of the students and monastery.” He watched her brow lift as she continued to stare at him. “And as I recall, you did not answer me.”

“Because I didn’t know,” Byleth supplied. “However, we were able to figure it out once we knew about my mother.” She leaned over and reached for her teacup taking a sip before she looked at him again. “Okay, I will drop this subject, for now.”

“Thank you,” he said as he watched her pop a piece of fruit into her mouth. As much as he had wanted to have the distraction of conversation with her, he suddenly found he wasn’t quite sure he wanted the distraction of having her sitting so close, wearing only her bedclothes and robe, so late at night.

“Let’s go back to your concerns. Perhaps, if we talk about it for a few minutes, you won’t be so worried.”

His brows lowered as he considered the very improbable scenario of him not being worried. “You may recall me telling you once that her blood is very rare. The danger of unsavory individuals kidnapping and harming her, such as the Death Knight did, is real and unsettling.”

“The Death Knight is dead. You were there when I killed him,” she pointed out as a matter of fact. “You were also there when Claude and I took down Nemesis. Those horrible creatures are gone.”

“Yes, but there could be others. There are always others,” he finished quietly. In fact, this instance was not the first time he had encountered Nemesis, he silently noted.

“Seteth,” Byleth reached out her hand and took his noting how he looked at their hands with furrowed brow a moment before he closed his fingers around hers and looked at her. “Linhardt would never let anything happen to her. He grew quite strong with his magic, and Flayn is not a weakling. Have faith in them, Seteth.”

His eyes held hers for a long moment as he considered her words while they sat in the darkened quiet of his office. Any other time, this interaction could be quite intimate. Without even realizing it, his hand had shifted on hers so that his fingers had laced with her slender ones as if it were perfectly natural. “You are right,” he finally said in a quieted voice. “It is highly likely that it was my overprotective habits with her that drove her away.”

Byleth couldn’t help her sympathetic smile as her fingers lightly tightened on his. “You didn’t drive her away, Seteth,” she said now in an attempt to chase away this obviously guilty fear he had. “She simply fell in love with a new man in her life. One that opened a new door of feelings and offered new experiences that you, as her father, could not. I know you must know this.”

His lips compressed a moment. “It had been just the two of us for so many years,” he absently thought aloud. “That this time would come was all but a sliver of a consideration anymore.” His eyes lifted to hers. “The fact will remain that she has moved on, and I must learn to live with that.”

“I promise to keep you busy with all kinds of tasks to occupy your mind,” she teased.

He slightly chuckled. “Thank you, Byleth.”

“No thanks is needed, Seteth.” She boldly leaned in to him and brushed a kiss to his cheek. “You are a very special man. Now, go to bed because we have a full calendar to deal with and morning will be here before we know it.”

His hand released hers as she stood and scampered out the door before he had even collected his thoughts, the surprise of her kiss nearly shorting out his brain. He continued to stare at his open door even after she had disappeared, the hand that had been holding hers slowly lifting to touch his cheek where she had kissed him. What did it mean? Ugh, now he had other thoughts to consider as he leaned to blow out the candle before heading to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Seteth watched as Byleth rubbed her fingers against her temples for a moment knowing full well that this was an indication she was inwardly annoyed by something. Since she was crowned as the Queen of United Fodlan, her days had been hectic. As her appointed Prime Minister, he had worked tirelessly with her to restore Fodlan. He often silently admired her dedication to rebuilding and restoring Fodlan despite obstacles encountered along the way.

A couple of days had passed since they had shared a late night of conversation. During that time, Seteth had spent a great deal of time evaluating his feelings for the woman that was now frowning at the document in her hand. There was no doubt he had feelings for her. Strong ones, very unlike any he had had for Rhea. Very unlike any he had for any other woman, for that matter.

“Seteth, can we lighten the calendar a bit?” Byleth looked at him as she set the document back down with a heavy thump of her hand on the desktop.

“Are you not feeling well?” His forehead furrowed in concern as he looked at her.

She shook her head. “No, it’s not that. It just seems like we are going non-stop lately. Even now, I know I have to go and meet with Alois, but I would really like to just take a bit of time to relax with a cup of tea, or something much stronger,” she added under her breath.

He pretended he didn’t hear the last part of her remark as he said, “I understand. Perhaps, I can make things less hectic for you. It seems there is much happening now that Fodlan is beginning to prosper once again and trade beyond its borders is also increasing.” A soft smile touched his face. “Surely, you did not expect this to be an easy undertaking. There is much to be done.”

“Of course, I didn’t,” she grumbled as she sat back in her chair. “But why does that quiet evening we spent together a couple of nights ago seem like it was some figment of my imagination.” She looked at him. “It did actually happen, didn’t it?”

“It did,” he assured. 

“I guess that means we have to have another restless night between us before that can happen again. But I don’t want it to be because you are so troubled by Flayn being gone.” She looked at him. “I did rather enjoy just talking to you about something other than politics and squabbles.”

“Yes, well, allow me to take a moment to inform you that I received a message from Flayn just this morning.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” She sat up again. “No wonder you seem to be in better spirits. She is well, I assume. Did she tell you where she is?”

“She does not reveal where she and Linhardt are living, but she is quite happy.” He reached into his pocket to retrieve the message. “Well, here, would you like to read it?”

Byleth’s eyes slightly widened in surprise as he held out the note. “Really? You don’t mind if I read it?”

He stepped a bit closer so she could easily reach the note in his hand. “Not at all. After our conversation the other night, I feel you should read it. There is nothing in it, that you should not know.”  
His eyes watched her read the brief message that merely told him that, although she apologized for leaving so abruptly, she was very happy and enjoying her experiences while traveling with her new husband and begged Seteth to be happy for her and not to worry.”

Smiling, Byleth looked at Seteth. “I am so happy for her. You feel better, yes?” 

“Yes,” he answered as he took the note back as she held it out to him. “Although, I will still worry,” he admitted honestly. “And miss her.”

“Of course, you will but perhaps, not so much as to lose sleep.” She stared at him for a long moment. “At any rate, Seteth, do you think we can lighten the load just a touch? I realize that I had trouble sleeping the other night, but I don’t want to be utterly exhausted at the end of every day.”

“I will attempt to lighten your burden, Byleth.”

“That’s all I can ask.” She regarded him carefully as she considered the invitation bouncing around in her head. “You know, I wouldn’t mind sharing another quiet evening away from all of this mess and the noise of the dining hall. Would you consider having dinner with me, just the two of us?”

The very thought of doing such a thing pleased him more than he cared to let on. “Just let me know when you would—”

“Tonight,” she interrupted. “I would like to do it tonight.”

He lightly chuckled. “All right. We can set up in the common room this evening. If,” he began as he lifted a finger, “you promise not to drill me about age.”

“Perfect. I promise. Thank you.” She pushed herself up now. “Until then, I need to go and meet with Alois. And that document there,” she pointed to her desk as she headed to the door, “is an unpleasant notice of a scuffle going on near Duscur. I will mention it to Alois for dispatch of some knights to settle it down.” She turned back at the door and smiled. “See you later.”

Byleth walked into the common room and couldn’t help smiling at the warm, candlelit atmosphere. A table set with a small bowl of flowers, a bottle of wine, and plates of a very appetizing dinner was perfect. “This is wonderful,” she said as Seteth walked over to close the door before moving to hold the chair for her. She was thrilled to see he was dressed in a simple button-down neatly tucked into black trousers.

“I hope that it will help you to feel more relaxed and less like you will be interrupted at any moment with work of some sort. Even though I am the one that tends to do the interruption with work.” He sat down opposite her and poured her some wine. “I understood that you wanted something a bit stronger than tea to drink. I opted for wine, although I have my suspicions you wanted something even stronger than this.”

Byleth couldn’t help her slight giggle. “I should have known that you would hear that.” She lifted the wine glass and lightly tapped it against his as he, in turn, held his up. “This will work just fine,” she commented before taking a sip. Her eyes lifted to his as she set her glass down. “Thank you, Seteth, for this.”

“You are welcome, Byleth. I regret not noticing that your workload was rather heavy on most days. It comes from my own always being quite heavy and disciplined.” He watched her as she poked her fork about on her plate a moment before loading it and putting it in her mouth. “I had not stopped to consider that yours need not be so stringent.”

“It’s okay, Seteth. I have known since I first met you that you tend to keep yourself quite disciplined and very busy. My work was always more physical work until I got here. My father handled everything prior to that. My job was merely fighting and staying alive.” She stabbed a piece of meat with her fork before continuing, “I didn’t have much interaction with people other than those in our group before I got here. It took me awhile to adapt to everyone, but I did. Just like I will adapt to all of this work.”

He considered her words as he recalled his first interactions with her. How she seemed to simply stare at him as he spoke to her without any indication of what was on her mind or if she was even interested in what he was telling her. “Still, you need not have such a heavy work load each day. I will work on assisting you with this.”

She smiled at him as she took another sip of wine. “Tell me something about yourself, Seteth. I have told you about everything there is to tell you about myself now, at least what I know anyway. I know you like your secrets about yourself, but there must be something you can tell me.” Her brows shot up, “I know, have you always been in Fodlan?”

“I have,” he simply answered as he watched her smile at him while she chewed her bite of food. He couldn’t help feeling a bit uneasy now. The setting he had made was, perhaps, romantic. Too romantic. Too intimate. There were strong feelings within him stirring to life each time his eyes met hers. 

“See, that wasn’t so bad.” She allowed her eyes to enjoy the flowers in the centerpiece on the table a moment before stating, “I don’t really have a hometown to speak of. We moved around so much, but we always seemed to settle in Remire when we could.” Her thoughts clouded a moment recalling the terror that had occurred there just before the war. “What is your hometown?” she asked now in an effort to chase away those memories. 

Seteth stared at her for a long moment. Why did she always ask questions he was afraid to answer for fear of her separating herself from him? Dare he actually tell her the truth? Perhaps, it would be a good thing if she knew. At least if she did and chose to put some distance between them, it would allow him to tamper down these growing feelings of affection for her and get them better under control.

She lifted a brow now. “You aren’t going to answer me, are you?”

“Zanado,” he finally answered. “My hometown is Zanado,” he quietly admitted deciding to just be truthful.

Her brows furrowed as she considered this information and what she had been told by Rhea. “Zanado. I don’t understand, Rhea said that Zanado was completely destroyed with everyone who lived there back when…” Her mouth dropped open as she stared at Seteth, realizing now why he hesitated to tell her his age. 

His eyes carefully watched her. He could tell by her expression, the way her eyes were darting about, that she was considering all of the bits of information she had gathered through the years about Zanado, about Rhea. He watched as she set her fork down and slowly reached for her wine taking a long sip, draining the glass, before she looked at him.

“You’re Nabatean,” she softly stated watching him nod. “I should have known,” she said almost under her breath. She reached over and grabbed the bottle of wine, refilling her glass while her mind worked over this information a moment. The very idea that he could be as old as her mind was trying to calculate was utterly fascinating. Her eyes lifted to look at him as he was carefully watching her, fascinating because he looked as if he were just a bit older than herself.

“You realize that you have just flung open a huge-ass door,” she stated flatly.

His brow lifted at her choice of words. “Yes. Well, It was only a matter of time before your desire to learn more began to chisel away my past. I did begin the process, I suppose, when I told you the truth of my relationship to Flayn.”

“Flayn,” she repeated now. “She is much older than she appears as well, isn’t she.” Not a question, but a statement of what she already knew to be fact. She finished her last bite of food as she watched him nod confirmation. “Oh, Seteth, the things I would love to learn from you. To gain knowledge of the history alone is exciting.”

Her reaction was not at all as he expected. As he set his plate aside now and actually realized he was smiling at her, a warmth washed over him. In the blink of an eye, his feelings for her bloomed completely into love. Although it had been many, many years since he allowed himself to feel this emotion, there was not a doubt in his mind that he loved her. He almost laughed aloud at the realization wondering just what he intended to do about it.

“Okay, this is a loaded question, Seteth,” she began as she lifted a finger, “but there is no use in avoiding it now.”

“Feel free to ask, but I have a request of you,” he stated as he held her eyes with his. “Please, keep everything I tell you solely between the two of us. Rhea was the only one who knew the truth of Flayn and myself and our history. With her no longer here, you will be that one person here who knows. Can you do this for me?”

“I can.” Her teeth toyed with her lower lip a moment. “Before we talk anymore though and since we are done with our meal, which was wonderful by the way, how about we go where there is not a chance to be overheard.”

He had to admit he rather liked this idea. “Where do you suggest?”

“My room.” She watched his facial expression indicating a chance he was about to refuse due to how it would look should someone see them retreat to her room together. “Chase away that concern of yours. I can be sure no one sees us head up the stairs.”

He had to admit this was a much more secure location, but the idea of being alone with her in her room was a bit more intimate than he thought he could handle appropriately. “Byleth, that is…”

“It’s perfect,” she said as she stood. “Let’s go.”


	3. Chapter 3

Seteth had to admit that she was rather clever in distracting the guard so he could slip up to her room unnoticed. Insisting that she had seen a shadow of movement within the audience chamber and demanding they do their due diligence of checking the room had allowed ample time. He watched in amusement as she walked toward him with an “I told you so” expression on her face before pushing her door open with one hand while she still held the bottle of wine they had not finished from dinner in the other.

“Have a seat,” Byleth invited as she took a minute to pull off her shoes. She smiled at him as he settled onto one end of the sofa. Inwardly, she knew she would have to work a bit to move close to him since he opted for the end rather than somewhere central on the sofa. No matter, she decided as she walked over and sat down in the center of the sofa instead of the opposite end. Taking a sip of the wine directly from the bottle, she held it out to him, smiling as he hesitated a moment before taking it from her.

“Surely, in all your years,” she began now, “you have drunk directly from a bottle.”

He slowly tipped the bottle to his lips before answering, “I have, but it has been a good, many years.”

“Good, many years,” she repeated now. “You know where this is taking me,” she pointed out.

“I do,” he admitted. “I feel I must confess that I fear the more you learn, the more you may decide you no longer wish to work by my side.” He drew a deep breath as he openly admitted, “That would greatly sadden me.”

Her eyes held a moment on his before she slowly shook her head. “I can assure you that I do not believe there is anything in your past that would cause me to do such a thing. Honestly, I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“You flatter me, Byleth,” he quietly stated. 

“Anyway, the past is the past,” she stated slowly. “I am sure, that if you knew how I managed to be called the Ashen Demon, you would think differently of me.”

He drew a slow breath now and stated, “I already know about your past in this regard, Byleth.” He nodded as she stared at him. “I had to get all of the information I could about you. Hanneman assisted me with this though his interest was solely in gaining background for your crest.”

She compressed her lips a moment as she considered the lengths these two had obviously gone to in order to investigate her. “You didn’t trust me, and he was after something I didn’t even know existed until I got here,” she grumbled.

“Surely, you understand that I had to find out all I could about you since Rhea so readily opened the doors to the monastery to you without the slightest bit of hesitation.” He stared her in earnest as he continued, “Other than being related to Jeralt, who disappeared the night of the fire years before, there was nothing to indicate qualifications to become a professor here, interacting with the students, with Flayn,” he finished quietly.

She let a slow breath exhale through her nostrils as she looked at him. “I understand,” she softly admitted. “I had to work so hard to get you to trust me.”

“I know. I cannot apologize for that because I had an obligation to safety of all of the students, not just the safety of Flayn.”

“And yet, Jeritza was right under your nose.” Realizing that their conversation was becoming a bit more intense than she wanted, she attempted to lighten the mood a bit again. “In the past, Seteth. The past is the past and here we are. Again, I would be lost here without you.”

He appreciated her diversion from the direction their conversation had taken and said, “You are a determined and intelligent woman, Byleth. I have no doubt that you can handle everything that comes your way with sound judgement and finesse.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you for the confidence.” She curled her leg up onto the sofa now as she stated, “I still want to learn about you and some history that seems to be sketchy at times.”

How could he refuse to share with her information she hungered for? He knew he wanted to join his life with hers in a way more intimate than simply being her Prime Minister. The only way to do it honestly was to be open with her. “If you insist on this subject, which it is clear that you do, I will do my best to answer you despite my reservations.”

Having him say that made her want to launch right into a topic she couldn’t resist since Hanneman told her they shared a crest. “Nemesis.” She watched him frown at the name. “Claude and I took this monster down, but that wasn’t the first time you saw him was it,” she stated as he watched his frown deepen.

“No. I was allied with Seiros during the War of Heroes. There is a truth to this war that many do not accept,” he slowly continued as she stared at him with wide eyes like a child hearing a bedtime story of dragons and princesses. “The ten elites were not the heroes of Fodlan as some history suggests. The ten elites were subordinates of Nemesis who slaughtered our people.”

“So, that would mean that you are over a thousand years old,” she slowly deduced, as she stared at him as if she were just seeing him for the first time.

“I am,” he softly admitted.

She couldn’t help scooting a bit closer to him now as she looked at his face. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable, but you seriously don’t look much older than I am.”

A slight smile touched his lips. “We Nabateans do not age as others do. We can live for many centuries.”

“Fascinating,” she sighed. “Her eyes widened now with a new thought. Did you know the four Saints?”

“Byleth, please.”

She took the bottle of wine from his hand and tipped it to her lips, taking a long sip before lowering it to stare at the opening. Seteth’s lips had been there only a few moments ago. Her eyes flicked to his a moment before she looked at it again and smiled. “Too much, too fast?” she asked as she considered all she had managed to get him to tell her. She took another sip from bottle, realizing there was only a swallow left, and held it out to him.

He took the bottle and hesitated a moment before he tipped it to his lips and finished it. Looking at her, he said, “You are attempting to gather history that has been muddled a bit over the years.”

“But you can unmuddle it for me,” she pointed out as she took the empty bottle and leaned to set it on the table before she inched a bit closer to him. Then, her brows lowered as she considered something she hadn’t before. “I am so sorry, I didn’t consider that I may be drudging up painful memories for you.”

Surprised that she had moved so close that he could smell the lavender in her hair, see the flecks of darker green sprinkled in the bright green of her eyes, and feel the warmth of her skin as she sat next to him, he felt long dormant emotions wildly stirring. That she hadn’t recoiled from him in the slightest, but rather shifted closer pleased him greatly. “Memories that I have learned to deal with by now.” He admitted. “Perhaps, we should save some of this for another time,” he softly suggested as his dark green eyes held hers.

“If I agree to that,” she began as her hand moved to rest on his thigh, “you might leave. I don’t think I want you to do that just yet.”

It seemed like the most natural thing to do, just shifting so he could slip his arm around her. The smile that touched her lips as he did so, was infectious causing him to smile back. She shifted herself just a bit, so she was now flush against him as she continued to stare up at him while her hand now rested against his chest. His throat ran dry as he considered how easy it would be to just lean a touch, with a tip of his head, and kiss her.

“Don’t overthink it,” she whispered as she tipped her face upward just a touch more as she rested against him.

Closing his eyes, he threw caution to the wind and bonded his lips with hers. His arms moved to hold her as their lips moved together in blissful unison. A flutter of heat skittered up his spine as he held her. Parting, on a sigh, he stared into her eyes a moment before daring to kiss her again. Her lips parted, her tongue lightly touching his lower lip was invitation enough so he deepened the kiss, allowing his tongue to dip into her mouth to mingle with hers.

As they separated, Byleth smiled at him. “So much I want to know about you,” she softly stated. “So much I want to learn from you.” Her hand slipped up from his chest to rest on his cheek. “There is something wonderful growing between us, Seteth. Something that has nothing at all to do with my thirst of your history but with my thirst for you as a man. You have to feel it, too.”

He lowered his head to kiss her before answering, “Yes, Byleth. I feel it, too.”

Her hand moved, fingers toying with the button on his shirt. “Tell me, Seteth,” she began as her eyes shifted from the button on his shirt that she had now successfully pushed through the buttonhole to his, “if I were to ask you to stay with me tonight…” she let the rest of her sentence hang as her brows lifted in question.

Every single part of him was thrilled with her invitation while one small voice in his brain was protesting his undisciplined desire to do such a thing. “You are sure of what you are asking of me?”

She couldn’t help the soft laugh as she continued to look at him, “I hope I am asking the man that I feel closest to, to be even closer and you will accept if you feel the same.”

If his heart could possibly feel any fuller at hearing this simple statement, he was sure it would burst. Wrapping his arms around her, his lips captured hers as he slowly pulled her into his lap. So long. It had been so long since he allowed himself to feel love for a woman again. The feeling was overwhelming and rejuvenating all at the same time. A soft groan of pure desire sounded deep in his throat as he felt her arms hold him close while she pushed her tongue between his teeth chasing away any doubt in his mind.

Byleth gulped a deep breath as they parted. “Over there,” she breathed as her arm extended, her finger pointing to the bed. Scrambling off of his lap, she grabbed his hand and pulled him up to lead him toward the bed. Turning, she began to unbuckle his belt. Having done so successfully, she looked up at him and smiled as she bunched his shirt into her hands and pulled it free of his trousers before beginning to work on her own dress buttons.

It was only a matter of minutes before they were holding each other, basking in the feel of their warm bodies pressed together as they held each other. Seteth’s hand slowly trailed from her hip, upward over her ribcage pausing a moment before skating upward further so he could softly cup her breast.

Byleth softly sighed as he nuzzled her throat, her fingers threading through his hair as she enjoyed the feelings rippling through her. Moving her hand from his hair, she brought it to rest against his chest, her fingers sampling the feel of dark green hair dusting the skin there. She looked at him as he lifted just enough to be able to look into her eyes as he propped himself on one elbow while his other hand still tenderly stroked her breast.

“You are beautiful, Byleth,” he softly spoke as his eyes held hers. “You are every bit the epitome of the term Majesty.” He was taken a bit aback at seeing her eyes welling at his words but felt he must continue, “I am blessed to have had you enter my life after many long years of having no one to hold close at night and to share a special love with. I love you, Byleth, and cannot imagine a life without you in it.”

‘Seteth,” she breathed as she felt a tear escape the corner of her eye. “I don’t want a life without you either. I love you.”

Claiming her lips with his, he felt as if he were taking flight with happiness. He would make her his. His partner, his lover, his wife. Yes, she would be his lifeforce now. His hand ventured from her breast now to push downward, his fingers sliding between her legs causing him to softly moan at the feel of her wet with desire. “I could lose myself in you,” he softly murmured as he nuzzled her ear.

“Mmmm,” she purred while she enjoyed the feel of his fingers sliding through her folds, pressing and swirling in all the right places. She sucked a slow breath as she felt his finger push into her. Her eyes, darkened with passion, stared up at him as he looked at her. Her hand lifted to his cheek before pushing back into his hair, her eyes falling on his ear. Pointed, she smiled and purred, “We’ll talk about this new discovery.”

He couldn’t help smiling and lowered to capture her lower lip in his teeth as his fingers moved to concentrate on her hardened nub. “Earth dragon,” he whispered against her cheek. “But I can no longer transform.” He felt her hand shift now, causing him to slightly jump in surprise as she wrapped her fingers around him before slowly exploring his hardened length.

“You are such a fascinating man,” she cooed as she arched under his expert stroking. Her eyes closed, her head tipping back while he trailed his tongue along her throat. A soft moan escaped her lips with the growing ripple of heat radiating from deep in her abdomen. “Seteth, don’t stop,” she begged as she began to rock into his hand while pressed and encircled her clit. Her lips parted, her breathing deepening, while she felt her impending release building and building until she felt she were going to burst into pieces. Then, with a throaty groan of release, she let go in a powerful orgasm of pure pleasure.

Shifting his position, Seteth moved over her and with a steady movement, pushed deeply into her. An easy slide, he couldn’t help the groan of pleasure at the warmth of her walls holding against him as he moved creating a perfect friction. His hand moved to pin one of hers above her head as he stared down at her trying to remember the last time he had felt so full of lust. The last time he had felt so alive with unadulterated pleasure. As he pumped into her, his eyes holding fast to hers, he felt her muscles clench around him causing a soft growl in his throat.

Byleth stared up into his eyes thrilling with each thrust of his hips as he pumped into her with a full, steady rhythm. It was perfect. Each thrust tipped the scale just a bit more toward her rebuilding of pleasure. “Harder,” she whispered as she opened her thighs as far as she could and tipped her hips upward. “Do it harder, Seteth.”

Any concern he had of hurting her faded away with her words. He could feel her muscles growing tighter and tighter, teasing him to release with each and every thrust. Knowing she was on the verge of another climax, he pushed his fingers between them to manipulate her back over the edge. In moments, she quaked and released the sweetest sound he ever heard. It was all he needed. With a few more deliberate thrusts, he poured into her with such force he thought he would faint. 

He gathered her against him as he moved to lay beside her while sucking a few deep breaths to regain himself. His eyes closed as he held her, afraid to let her go for fear she would simply disappear like a dream. “It is my greatest hope that you will agree to marry me," he softly confessed.

“I can’t think of a thing that would make me happier. Of course, I will marry you.”


	4. Chapter 4

Seteth leaned onto the bed and lightly pressed a kiss to Byleth’s cheek, smiling as he noticed her slightly stir. He had hated getting up and leaving her after such a glorious night together before simply holding her as they slept, but as usual, duties called.

“Mmmm.” Byleth’s eyes fluttered open as she smiled at him. A smile that quickly turned to a furrowed brow and a pout as she noticed he was all but fully dressed. His shirt, yet still unbuttoned as he leaned toward her with a soft smile on his face. “I was going to say good morning, but you are up and dressed,” she said, her voice clearly reflecting the pout on her lips.

“Good morning,” he softly responded. “I am sorry, sweetheart, but as you well know, our schedules are rather full for the day.” He ventured to sit on the bed beside her as his hand brushed across her bare shoulder above the covers. “Believe me, the last thing in the world I wanted was to get up. It will be difficult enough for me to get to my own room from here without being seen.”

“Pffft, I don’t care if anyone knows,” she mumbled as she pushed herself up, one hand holding the covers over her bare breasts as she did so. Her eyes lifted to his, and she couldn’t help smiling. “It seems that I have tarnished that stellar, disciplined reputation of yours,” she teased.

He lightly chuckled despite himself. “It would seem so.” He couldn’t help slipping his hand around her nape and pulling her closer for a kiss. “It would also seem that you are continuing to chisel away at my discipline to be at work on time.” He released her and began to button his shirt as he stood. 

She allowed the covers to fall as she scooted to the edge of the bed, slowly standing now inches from him as she looked up and smiled. “Shall we have some lunch together?” she asked, unable to contain the smile on her lips as he closed his eyes in an effort to keep himself in check.

He quickly dropped a kiss to her cheek before walking to the door, pausing to turn back. “We shall,” he answered as he turned to look back at her, standing completely nude and smiling at him. She was beautiful, no denying it. “I love you,” he softly said as he reached for the door.

“Love you, Seteth. See you soon.”

The morning’s work had been nothing short of a marathon of meetings and documents to pour over. The only sparkle of light through it all had been the note Cyril had delivered to her from Seteth informing her that he had arranged to have lunch brought to his office for them rather than meeting in the dining hall. At least now, as she set aside her document seal and wax, she had a reason to smile.

As she sat across from Seteth in his office, much as she had the night they couldn’t sleep, she couldn’t help launching into her fact-finding crusade once again. “So, Mr. Earth Dragon,” she smiled as his eyes quickly lifted from his plate to hers at her words, “why did you lose the power to transform?”

He drew a deep breath as he looked at her. They were to be married. In good conscience, he could not possibly keep any secrets from her now. It was best that she did know all. All, before they actually took their vows, perhaps. “I remained in my human form for so long that the power to do so just waned.”

“Flayn?”

“Light Dragon. She can no longer transform either, for the same reason.”

“Fascinating,” she breathed as she sat back now and looked at him. “You are the most interesting and appealing man I have ever met.” She watched a slight pink rise to his cheeks inwardly thrilled that she was able to get that reaction from him. “I asked you a question last night that managed to get absorbed in the progression of our interactions with each other a bit.”

He cleared his throat now as he sat back now bracing for where she was undoubtedly heading. Perhaps, now was not the time to open this door and divulge his true identity. There was a chance that the subject would not only take a bit of time but, in all likelihood, break her concentration for the rest of the day. “Byleth, I believe I know where you are heading now. Perhaps, we can discuss this piece of history and information this evening when we will have more time.”

“You aren’t just saying this in hope that I will drop it?”

He shook his head. “It is only fair that you know my personal information before we actually marry. In case—”

“Don’t you dare say what I think you are about to,” she said as she pointed at him. “It will take more than information about a past that is hundreds of years in the past to put me off, Seteth. I love you, plain and simple. I intend to marry you. You asked, I accepted. No getting out of it now.” She pushed herself up as she continued. “If you can deal with being married to the emotionless Ashen Demon with countless kills to my credit, then I can deal with a man that has centuries of history behind him. Behind him,” she reiterated clearly.

He stood, moving around the table he pulled her into his arms and held her close. “Anything you want to know, I will tell you.” He tightened his arms around her a moment before releasing her. “And, I shall just tell you now that I managed to alter our calendars for the morning to give us a bit of time together without rushing.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, that is perfect!” She stretched up enough to press her lips to his. “I will see you later. We also need to find time to discuss when we can actually marry.” She moved toward the door. “And I don’t need a fancy ceremony. Perhaps, just a small little exchange of vows will do?”

Her suggestion of something so simple took him by surprise. He expected her to look forward to an elaborate celebration, but then, he should have known better. Byleth was perfectly comfortable with simple pleasures. To the point and without opportunity for any type of confusion. Nodding to her, he watched her open the door and disappear. To find a woman so beautiful, so straight forward, and so intelligent was a blessing and nothing short of a miracle he decided with a smile.

Byleth had plowed through her afternoon schedule with only one outcome in the back of her mind. The quiet evening she would share learning about Seteth and his first-hand knowledge of history excited her. Even as they had their dinner in the dining hall this evening so they could talk over the possibility of opening the Officer’s Academy again at some point with Manuela and Hanneman, all she really wanted was to get it over with so they could retreat to her room.

Finally, as they closed the door leaving their work behind for the day, she breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought this day would never end,” she groaned as she kicked off her shoes. She smiled at the clothes he had managed to bring into her room that were neatly folded and resting on the bench at the end of her bed. “I love seeing that,” she commented as she pointed to them. “There will be plenty of room for your things in the wardrobe,” she said as she began to undress. “But for now, shall we get comfortable? Perhaps, relax on the bed to talk?”

“All right,” he agreed following her lead and beginning to undress. He was pleased that she had decided to pull on a nightgown, knowing that had she neglected to do so, it would be most distracting to speak to her should she remain entirely nude. He pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and joined her, sitting up against the headboard as he watched her sit next to him but opting to face him as she leaned across his chest.

Byleth’s hand idly began to softly sift through the hair on Seteth’s chest as she smiled at him. Lifting her hand, she pushed his hair back on one side and tipped her head enough to look at his ear before her eyes slowly shifted to his. Her fingers guided the green hair behind the pointed ear drawing her attention again before she smiled and looked at him. “So unique and all mine,” she whispered.

“All yours,” he quietly responded.

She considered the thoughts in her head for a moment before settling on one. “Did you know the four Saints?”

He drew a slow, deep breath. “I do know the four Saints.”

“First hand knowledge of the Saints, is—” she hesitated a moment as she considered how he just answered her. “You said you know the Saints,” she slowly repeated and watched him nod. “As in the Saints are still alive?” She pushed up a bit as she stared at him. “Seteth, are the Saints still in Fodlan?” 

“Please, Byleth, this is guarded information and you must promise me that you will never repeat what I am about to tell you.”

“They are,” she breathed. Her mouth dropped slightly open as she considered this information before looking at him. “Of course, Seteth. Anything at all that you tell me or that happens in this room, for that matter, is only between the two of us. I promise with everything that I am.”

“Macuil and Indech are in bestial form, unable to shift back into human form any longer. They are currently referred to as The Immovable and The Wind Caller.”

“They are guarding the divine weapons,” she said as she recalled going to Sreng on a side quest with Claude. “And Cichol and Cethleann?”

“They remain in Fodlan, in human form,” he said as his eyes held hers. “Byleth, I am Cichol.”

She thought her breath had ceased to move in her lungs as her eyes widened. Her mouth opened for words, but she couldn’t seem to say a word.

Concerned by her reaction, Seteth’s hand lifted to her cheek. “Byleth.” His arms closed around her holding her close. Had this been the one piece of information that she could not handle? The very thought made his heart begin to ache. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, though he was not quite sure what he was sorry for. He could not change who he was.

Slowly, Byleth’s shock began to dissipate as she relaxed into his embrace. A Saint. She was about to marry a Saint. Pushing back a bit, he relaxed his hold allowing her to stare at him. “Flayn is Cethleann,” she said now.

“She is.”

“You, want to marry me? You’re a Saint!”

“And you are the embodiment of the Goddess Sothis. The Progenitor God,” he pointed out.

She frowned now as she considered this bizarre tangle of information. “Well, you have just opened another huge-ass door even bigger than the other one,” she mumbled under her breath. She pointed a finger at him. “You…you can perform miracles. It says so on the statue in the cathedral.”

“That is an exaggeration,” he pointed out. “If I could really manage such a feat, some of the atrocities that occurred throughout our history may not have happened.”

“But you must have made some incredible things happen for such a thing to be associated with you.”

A slight smile touched his lips. “Perhaps.” His finger lifted to trace her lower lip as she looked at him. “Tell me that nothing has changed, sweetheart. Please, tell me you will still marry me.”

Her hand captured his as it rested against her lip and moved it to rest on her shoulder as she leaned in to kiss him. “You will not rid yourself of me that easily, Seteth.” Her brows lifted, “I am assuming that I need to still call you Seteth at all times.”

“To keep any accidental slip of the tongue, by all means. I have been Seteth for centuries now.”

She giggled. “Centuries. Wow.”

“Have you not considered how long you will be living now?” He watched her brows shoot up. “You, my dear, will experience a great many years of life ahead of you.”

“I hadn’t considered that,” she said under her breath. “Damn,” she uttered as her eyes lifted to his. “You are going to be stuck with me for a long time, aren’t you. Better think it over.” She smiled as he laughed while they slid down into the bed together. “Something to sleep on, for sure.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Alois,” Seteth began as he entered the office across from his own, “have you seen Byleth? She does not seem to be in her office or any of the others for that matter.”

“I haven’t seen her since we finished our meeting about an hour ago,” Alois informed. “She seemed rather annoyed with information regarding a bit of unrest in the Arundel territory, but when she left my office she seemed as usual.”

“Well, perhaps, I have just missed her along the way,” Seteth said now as he considered the time.

“At any rate, I am sure she will be in the meeting you have called this evening.”

A hint of a smile touched his face now. “Yes, I will see you then.” Turning, Seteth left Alois’ office and stood in the hallway a moment as he considered where she could have gone. The papers he had expected her to sign had not been returned, nor did he see them on her desk. What was she doing? Perhaps, the library.

As he rounded the corner, he noticed Cyril. “Ah, Cyril, have you seen Byleth?”

“She was heading to the cathedral last I saw her,” he informed. “Do you want me to go and let her know you are looking for her?”

“No, that is fine. Thank you. I will go and see if I can locate her.”

Byleth stared up at the statue of Saint Macuil before moving to study Saint Indech. Ever since she knew that they were not just part of history, but still existed even if it was bestial, she couldn’t stop wondering what they were actually like in personality. Were they at all like Seteth? Two days had passed since she learned Seteth was Cichol and Flayn, Cethleann. She had decided to give him a break from her questions and just enjoy being with him and sharing his company despite the questions in her head. 

As she moved to look at the statue of Cichol, something she had done many times during her time at the monastery, she realized she would never quite see it the same again. No longer the monument to a Saint that aided in the War of Heroes, but the man she was going to marry. A slight smile touched her lips while she considered this fact yet could never tell a single soul.

Seteth entered the cathedral glancing about to see if he could see her. The restoration of the cathedral’s interior was all but complete now. A fact that greatly pleased him. As he looked toward the room where the statues rested, he noticed a few people peering in from the door and wondered what was happening. Walking closer, he heard a child happily saying that she had seen the Queen up close and how pretty she is. He couldn’t help smiling and now knew where Byleth was.

“Your Majesty,” he said as he managed to enter and walked to stand at her side, “you are drawing a bit of a crowd.” 

Byleth looked at him and smiled. “I don’t understand why. It’s not like I don’t ever walk around and talk to them.”

“It is because there are always new people that filter through the monastery as they travel by,” Seteth stated as he looked at her. “Seeing their queen is a thrill for them. I do have to ask you what brought you here.” He turned a bit to look at the statue of Cethleann. “You are not regretting your decision for this evening, are you?” he softly asked.

“Not in a million years,” she quietly responded. She wanted nothing more than to reach over and take his hand, lace her fingers with his, yet knew the gesture would likely cause a rumble of gossip they could do without until their marriage was formally announced. “I take it the meeting you have called together was not an issue?”

“A bit of grumbling from Manuela, but she agreed to participate even without an explanation of topic.”

“Once they understand they are there to witness our marriage, I am sure they will not be so grouchy.”

“We can only hope.” Seteth looked at her now. “However, for now, I do have items that require your signature which have yet to be given to me.”

“I’m sorry, Seteth. We can go.” She looked up at him. “I just needed to come and spend a few minutes with them. It’s like seeing them for the first time.”

“I understand,” he answered softly. “I will tell you a bit more about them soon.”

“Thank you.”

Byleth stared up at Seteth as the priest recited the vows and they repeated them. Manuela’s crying was almost funny, she considered as she knew it more than likely due to her despair over not being the bride once again. Then, there was Alois, sniffing while staring at her like a proud father. At least Hanneman and Cyril were being quiet and well mannered.

None of them could believe that they were gathered to witness the marriage of the pair until the priest arrived. Clearly, they had managed to keep their relationship completely hidden even though it had been a matter of only days. Now, as the priest pronounced them man and wife, Seteth hesitated a moment before taking her in his arms for a kiss. The public display of such affection was just not in his nature, but as her arms wound around him, he couldn’t help pressing his lips to hers in the first kiss as a married couple.

“Congratulations, you two,” Hanneman said as he shook Seteth’s hand. “I must say this is a complete surprise. Just imagine the crest possibilities should you two have a child. Two rare crests like a major of Cichol and the Crest of Flames.” His eyes lit up at the thought. “Oh! What if a whole new crest was born from such a union.”

“Oh, knock it off Hanneman,” Manuela said now. “They have been married only minutes and you already have a baby being born.” She looked at Byleth. “I must say, Byleth, I don’t know how you managed to get this stuffy man on a hook, but I clearly need to talk to you about your ability to make that which seems impossible possible.” She looked at Seteth now. “I had no idea that you cared about anything at all other than Flayn and your rigorous schedule of duties.”

“I knew something was going on,” Cyril admitted now. “I noticed Seteth coming from the third floor early the other morning. Before I know Her Majesty is awake.”

Byleth glanced at Seteth a moment with a sheepish grin before looking at Cyril. “I appreciate that you kept that bit of information to yourself, Cyril. And I told you before to call me Byleth.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Cyril answered. 

Seteth nervously cleared his throat a moment before he pointed to the table of refreshment. “Please help yourselves. We appreciate your being here to share this with us. Alois, if you would please sign the certificate as witness, it shall all be official. You can make the formal announcement for us.”

“Of course!” Alois signed the paper and turned to Byleth. “Jeralt is smiling down at you on this special day.”

“Hmmm, I wonder,” Seteth stated now. “I am not sure how he would feel about your decision to marry me.”

“Stop,” Byleth said now as she reached up and rested her hand on Seteth’s chest. “He would be happy if I am happy. And I am.” She looked at the table of treats. “And I will be happier if I have one of those little cakes before they disappear.” Looking back at Seteth she said, “I will grab a few along with a bottle of wine, and we will make ourselves scarce.”

Byleth set the plate of treats down on the table along with the bottle of wine and turned to smile at Seteth as his finger slid the bolt on her door. Her eyes watched him as he walked toward her, his fingers working at unfastening his jacket as he did so. At one time, he was a man she felt she would never be able to please no matter what she did. Now, as she watched him lay his jacket across the back of a chair before smiling at her, she realized that pleasing him was all that mattered to her.

Reaching out, he slipped his hand around her nape and slowly pulled her closer. “You have made me happier than I have been in many long years,” he said while his other hand came to rest on her hip. “I know that everything leading to this moment seems to have happened in a blink of an eye. I do hope you do not regret not taking things at a slower pace.”

Byleth’s eyes slowly drifted over his face before settling on his eyes while her hands came to rest on his ribcage. “I have known you for some time now, Seteth. Rocky as some of that time was, it still allowed me to slowly get to know you.” She lifted a finger and drifted it over the whiskers along his jaw. "I know there is much about you to still learn, but I know enough to know that I love you, and I look forward to a long and happy life with you.”

Tipping his head, he pulled her to capture her lips with his. “I did not think I would ever have the chance to find love in my life again. You are truly a gift, Byleth. A gift that I shall cherish the rest of my days,” he whispered against her cheek.

“I love you,” she purred against him. She accepted another kiss before turning to pick up a small cake. Taking a bite, she lifted the small treat to his lips and smiled as she waited for him to open his mouth so she could push it in. Having done so, she slowly licked the glaze on her fingers one by one, her eyes holding his. “I don’t think I need to tell you what I want to do now,” she purred as she began to pull his shirt free from his trousers. “It is our wedding night after all.”

He swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed where he carefully set her down before moving to undress, shaking his head at her when she began to undress herself. Stripped to his boxers, he now turned his attention to Byleth. Reaching toward her, he slowly began the pleasure of peeling her garments from her one by one while he inwardly wondered if he ever felt as full of pure lust as he was at that moment.

Byleth sighed, her head tipping back as he stood by the bed, holding her against him while she rested on her knees as he softly kissed along the column of her neck. Ever so slowly, he blazed a heated trail with his tongue tracing along her collarbone before moving downward over the slope of her breast and encircled a taut nipple before drawing it into his mouth. Her eyes closed, enjoying the growing desires causing an ache she could hardly wait for him to satisfy.

Seteth carefully lowered her to the bed and watched her as she pushed herself to the middle before he removed his boxers to join her. He intended to know every inch of her this evening. He hungrily captured her lips with his before plunging his tongue into her mouth. He softly moaned as her arms came around him to hold him close. Such a simple thing, a tight embrace while sharing a passionate kiss, yet it felt as if he were being revitalized with new energy and desires for life.

Taking his time to enjoy every moment, he lowered to rain kisses down her torso as he slid down in the bed to eventually settle himself between her legs. His eyes took a moment to drink her in as she layed, splayed out in front of him, the sight of her making his heart swell and desire spike. He lightly blew over her folds a moment before diving his tongue to part her, tasting her sweetness.

Arching, Byleth nearly cried out as a ripple quickly turned to a wave of passion radiating from her core. With each lap of his tongue, she felt as if she were going to melt. Soft moans of pleasure poured from her while her hands gripped at the sheets. His name fell from her lips like a song as her eyes squeezed closed with her approaching release.

The sounds she made thrilled him as he continued his assault. As his name poured from her lips, her back arching, a skitter ran the length of his spine. Pressing his tongue against her, he felt her spasm as she sang out in heated blissful release. Wiping his mouth with the sheet, he slid up her body to stare into her eyes while one hand slipped under her hip to tip her slightly upward. “I love you, Byleth. With all that I am,” he said as he pushed deeply into her.

Her eyes, darkened and wide, stared up at him. She sighed as she felt him thrusting into her with a steady rhythm. “I love you,” she said before his lips possessively joined hers. Her hands softly moved over him, sliding to rest against his chest. “Wait,” she whispered, smiling at him as he looked down at her. “Hold on and roll so I’m on top.”

Smiling, he slipped his arms around her while she held him, rolling so she was now perched on top. She stole a long, drugging kiss before biting his lower lip a moment and pushing up to seat him deeply into her heat. His hand skated forward to enjoy the feel of her breasts as she slowly began to move. He couldn’t help the groan of delight that rattled deep in his throat as he stared up at her, enjoying the feel of her as she pumped over him with intoxicating motion.

Resting her hands against his chest, she enjoyed the sight of him under her. He was not the disciplined man, always in check, always in control. He was the man that no one saw or knew. The man that loved her with every ounce of his being. The man that made her feel alive and special. Shifting her position just a touch, the new angle made a him softly utter a word she didn’t think he was capable of.

His fingers, pressing into her ribcage, held her tightly as he stared up at her through partially closed eyes. It was a perfect vision coupled with her motion that was tearing all rational thought from his brain. With a steady groan from deep in his chest, he released into her. Sucking a slow, deep breath, he pulled her down against him to hold her while he recovered. Now his wife, he knew she was now his life, and he would never let her go.


	6. Chapter 6

Byleth enjoyed, what she knew would be a rarity, letting her eyes wander over Seteth’s face as he still slept beside her. On his side facing her, his face was completely relaxed, his forehead void of the usual gold circlet he wore. His hair was laying back a bit on the side allowing her to see the point of his ear that he had to keep covered to anyone else. 

Her eyes, drifting downward over his chest, her fingers were tempted to reach out and enjoy the feel of him. He was, without a doubt, so perfectly put together from head to toe. In stellar shape actually. A shame, she decided, that he kept this fact so well hidden. Then again, it gave her a luxury of knowing there was another piece of the puzzle of Seteth was solely hers. 

Noticing his hand slightly move as it rested on the bed between them, her eyes lifted to his as they slowly opened. Her hand moved now to wrap around his. “Good morning,” she whispered.

“Good morning, my love,” he softly responded. His mind slowly cleared away the unusual fog that was clouding it. No doubt this was caused by them draining the bottle of wine before settling to sleep. “I am at a loss for still sleeping while you have apparently been awake,” he said as his fingers closed around hers.

“Mmmmm, probably will never happen again,” she pointed out quietly. “But I rather enjoyed the opportunity to just watch you.” She smiled as his brow slightly lifted. “And, since you managed to clear our schedule for early this morning, making that twice you have done so by the way, I am going to bask in this luxury this morning.”

“Fair enough,” he responded while his eyes stared into hers. Such a bright and clear shade of green, they filled him with a sense of warmth. He couldn’t help wondering if she had this effect on others or if it was solely due to his love for her. He leaned into her, softly brushing his lips over hers. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.” She thought for a moment before asking, “What do you think Flayn will think about us getting married?”

“She will be thrilled,” he answered steadily. “She, no doubt, will hear the news once the official announcement spreads throughout Fodlan. I expect she will send a message when that happens.”

“I hope so.” She softly ran the backs of her fingers over his chest before bringing her hand to rest on his shoulder. She lightly laughed now. “I am a secret step mother, aren’t I?”

He chuckled now as well as his finger lifted to tap her nose. “Very secret.” He dropped another kiss to her lips before pushing up a bit to rest against the headboard. “I do hope that this other life that must stay hidden is not a burden for you.”

“Not at all. It just adds to the growing list of things I know about you that no one else does. I adore having a Seteth that belongs only to me.”

“I see,” he said as he moved to put his arm around her as she shifted to rest against him. “In all honesty, I rather like having someone special to relax with. Someone that I can share a personal concern or feeling with.”

Her brows drew together for a moment, her finger tracing the line of his collarbone. “I hadn’t even considered that you only had Flayn to openly talk to.” She tipped her head to look at him. “And Rhea? Surely, you could talk to her. I mean she knew the truth.”

“Speaking with Rhea was not always easy,” he admitted. “We shared a history that is fraught with unpleasant memories. Do not misunderstand me, there are good ones, yet efforts to contain some of the facts of a time before the Church existed were tedious and not always easy.”

“So, it is true that you pulled information from the library and hid away some of the books and scrolls.”

He nodded. “Yes.”

She adjusted her position a bit so she could see him better, opting to rest across him to face him better. “Remember when you caught Claude and I in the library, and we were discussing an illustration of a dragon which you confiscated?” She watched him nod. “We continued our conversation a bit after you left where Claude was convinced that the illustration was of the Immaculate One.”

“As you know now, he was correct.” He carefully watched her face as his brows lowered. “Byleth…”

“You know exactly where I am going, don’t you,” she plainly offered. “So, do you have such an illustration tucked away in hiding of, say, the Earth Dragon?” When he didn’t respond, she prodded. “Seteth, I have all day to wait for you to answer me, but you do realize your silence is speaking volumes. So, you may as well just locate it for me to see within the next couple of days.”

He drew a slow, deep breath. This illustration she was requesting was one he had kept well hidden away for a great many years. To actually show it to anyone was something he never considered doing as long as he lived. As he stared at her determined expression that was growing more stern the longer he remained silent, only confirmed his knowledge that she would not relent. “I will see if I can locate it for you,” he finally responded.

“MmmHmmm. I already know that you,” she continued as her finger tapped against his chest, “know exactly where it is. Might even be in one of the boxes that have already been moved up here from your room. But since I will not enter your belongings, ever, without your permission because I believe in honesty and respect for some privacy, I will wait for you to produce it for me.”

“You are going to be quite the force of nature to deal with,” he said with the hint of a smile as he bent a knee for her to rest against as she looked at him while still resting across him. 

“Already regretting that we married?” she asked with a touch of amusement in her tone.

He shook his head. “Never. You are the challenge I have long needed in my life.” His hand moved to rest on her hip, fingers absently moving as he looked at her. “I can tell, that you are wanting to embark on another series of questions.”

Her lip pouted out now as she looked at him. “Well, I think I deserve to know now that I am married to you.”

“I cannot argue with that logic,” he stated as he pulled the covers around her a bit. “All right, ask what you will. We have a bit of time before we will need to get to work.”

She smiled now. “The Wind Caller. You said he is one of the Saints. When we went to Sreng on the quest for the divine sword that Claude just had to have, he seemed,” she paused a bit, “well, downright hostile actually. Accused me of stinking,” she recalled with a frown. “Rather insulting. He was also rather vocal about wanting to kill Claude.”

Seteth nodded as he recalled the less than pleasant interaction. “First, you may or may not know that Macuil and Indech are my brothers. Macuil is rather disgusted by humans. His hatred for the Ten Elites and their descendants has made him bitter. Claude admitted to being a descendant of Riegan, though he did not need to. Macuil has the ability to smell crest-bearing blood. It is for this reason that he focused on your scent. It is possible that he may have thought you might be a descendant of Nemesis as he could sense Sothis in you and, as you already know, Nemesis consumed the blood of Sothis in effort to gain her crest.” He let out a sigh now as he considered his brother and how he once was. “He is best left to his solitude now though he was once masterfully gifted “

Byleth took a moment to consider this information for a moment before saying, “That means that Indech is The Immovable.”

“He is.” Seteth slightly smiled for a moment, deep in memories that stirred to life. “Indech and I were very close once upon a time. He was always ready to help those in need. He was a great warrior but lacked the ability to truly interact with others.” He looked at Byleth and smiled. “Bernadetta has the minor Crest of Indech and has the same type of introverted personality. Rather interesting.”

“You know Linhardt has the minor Crest of Cethleann. I wonder if that drew him to her,” Byleth pondered for a moment. Her forehead furrowed for a moment as she tried to recall anyone having the Crest of Cichol. 

“Ferdinand,” he softly supplied, smiling as she looked at him. “You were trying to remember who has the minor Crest of Cichol, were you not?” He watched her nod. “Ferdinand. All of the crests relating to the Saints were found in the Empire, but for Macuil for his own reasons.”

Her stomach rumbled to life causing her eyes to widen. “Oh, I’m sorry that my belly seems to have a demand of its own to add to our conversation.”

Softly chuckling, he pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers. “Perhaps, it has just gotten bored with all of this ancient history.”

“Perhaps,” she agreed. “I agree we have spent enough time on this subject. Although, I hate having to get up.” Her eyes traveled over his face a moment. “I enjoy spending time like this with you so much,” she admitted as her fingers guided his hair behind his ear. “Seteth, what would you say if I decided I no longer wanted to be Queen of Fodlan and wanted to leave here.”

“Is this something you are seriously considering, Byleth?”

“Not right away,” she said while her hand moved now to his shoulder. “I was just curious how you would feel about it.”

“Where you go, I will follow. You should know that.” His hand slipped up her arm. “Although, I tend to think that you are currently thinking of going directly to find some breakfast.”

“I would rather have the breakfast brought to us,” she pointed out. “In fact,” she began to scramble across the bed and grabbed her robe, “I am going to see if I can have that done right now.”

“Byleth,” Seteth called out as she headed to the door while he sat on the edge of the bed. “Please, do not wander the hallways dressed in only your robe.”

She frowned at him. “I won’t wander, Seteth. Surely, there is someone within shouting distance. Cyril is never too far away,” she dismissed as she opened the door and leaned out while Seteth pulled on a pair of pajama pants and tied the waistband. “Cyril!”

Shaking his head at her lack of proper decorum, his eyes widened as she stepped outside the room now while calling out again. “Byleth!” His brows lowered as he heard her talking, breathing a sigh of relief as he heard the voice of a female staff speaking with her. Did she honestly not understand how inappropriate it is to speak with a young male dressed as she was? 

Walking into the room with a smile planted on her face, she looked at Seteth’s rather stern expression, the smile fading. “Uh-oh. I know that face. Didn’t you want to spend a bit more time together alone before we went to work?”

“Byleth, do you often wander about up here speaking with staff dressed in such a way?”

“Huh? You mean in just my robe?”

His sigh was audible as he continued to look at her as she stood several feet from him. “Yes, I mean in just your robe. Do you not understand how revealing that attire is?”

She looked down at herself. The belt was nicely tied, and everything appeared to be covered as the white robe flowed to her feet. “I guess I don’t understand. I look all covered up to me.”  
He took a couple of steps toward her. “Do you honestly not understand that seeing you in such a way can be rather,” he paused as he tried to find the words he wanted to convey his point, “stimulating to a man. Yes, you are covered, but this material allows for,” he hesitated again as he pressed his hand to his forehead struggling with having to explain such a thing to her.

Her lips pursed a moment as she looked down and noticed her nipples poking the material. “Oh, I think I see what you are talking about.” She looked at him now. “I’m sorry, Seteth. I have never really been one for modesty.” She lifted a shoulder. “I grew up in a different type of environment than most, I guess.” She pointed at the door now, “But I was talking to Betty, not Cyril, so its all okay.” She stepped closer to him and rested her hands on his hips as she looked up at him. “I will remember from now on, no more darting out in my robe. And you can’t go out in yours either.”

He couldn’t help chuckling at her, his irritation with her behavior falling away. “Deal.” He dropped a kiss to her lips. “I trust you have breakfast coming?”

“I do. We probably have just enough time to get dressed before it arrives, and I have to open the door again.”


	7. Chapter 7

“You have a decent concept here, Lorenz,” Byleth was saying as she looked over the plan he had presented for her consideration for a few of the Alliance territories. “I just don’t want things to begin to be clumped up and divided throughout the land again. Perhaps, it is not just these territories that should be considered.” Her eyes lifted from the documents on her desk. “I don’t want Fodlan making the same mistake with separate kingdoms sprouting up. Chaos, war,” her hand gestured as she looked at him, “although, I am well aware that there is no stopping all of this progression through time as it marches onward.”

“I understand your apprehension,” Lorenz was saying now, “perhaps, we could come to an agreement on the parts that are troubling to you. Perhaps a compromise of some sort. All in all, you must admit that the plan is not a poor one.”

“On the contrary, there are several points that I like very much, the rebuilding of schools throughout the territories, I like the footnote you have of outreach of trade beyond the usual borders,” she looked at him as she drew a deep breath. “There is much to consider here. It is a broad plan. I also know that you and Claude are negotiating a treaty?”

“Ah, we have had a meeting at Fodlan’s Throat a couple of times.” He held a steady eye on Byleth. “I do hope this is not a problem. I do not wish to interfere with anything you may be working on, we just happened to run into each other one day in Derdriu and started talking.”

“This is definitely not a problem. I have just been so busy with immediate relief through Fodlan, I have not reached out as yet. Know that I am very pleased that an agreement is in the making and prepared to put pen to paper as soon as you two get everything worked out in a manner that benefits both countries.”

“Claude said that he was sure you would not have any issues with the plans moving forward. I am most pleased that he was correct.”

“But back to this plan you have brought to me. Will you agree to leaving all of this so I can take my time with it and make notes of my own? It is getting rather late, and I really would like time to carefully examine it and consider some of the points a bit.”

“Well, I suppose I could do that,” he answered slowly as he considered if he truly wanted to entrust her with his documentation.

Byleth’s mouth lifted in a half smile. “I will not steal your ideas as my own or lose them.”

His hand pressed against his chest. “Oh! Of course, you wouldn’t. My apologies for my apprehension, Your Majesty. I did not mean to offend.”

She lifted a brow now. “I am not offended, Lorenz. You do realize that I am still the same person you used to argue with over your escapades with female students and repetitive dinner invitations?”

He frowned now. “Behavior unbefitting a gentleman, as I look back on it now. I do understand the points you were attempting to make back then now that I reflect.”

“The point I was making is that I am just Byleth. No need for you to be so formal.” She smiled now. “I have known you too long for that.” 

“Point taken,” Lorenz said now. “We shall agree to meet again once you have looked over everything and had ample time to consider what I have proposed.”

“Thank you. I just want to possibly consider even expanding some of these ideas outside of the territories you have suggested, but I need time to evaluate it.” Byleth pushed herself up now and walked around her desk as Lorenz stood, but a wave of lightheadedness took her over causing her lean against the edge of her desk.

“Byleth,” Lorenz said as his hand reached out to help steady her. “Are you all right? Shall I go locate Seteth for you?”

Drawing a slow deep breath, she looked up at Lorenz. “No, I’m fine, really. I think I just got up too fast,” she offered as she frowned. “Seteth isn’t even here this afternoon,” she dismissed.

Seeing she was steady on her feet once again, Lorenz withdrew his hand as he looked at her. “If you insist.” He smiled at her now. “It was quite the surprise to hear the announcement that the two of you had married, and without the benefit of a beautiful wedding befitting the Queen of Fodlan.”

“We didn’t feel we needed the grand affair and expense that is also associated with such a celebration,” she stated in an attempt to divert his attention from the fact that theirs had been a whirlwind of an engagement lasting only a few days. They had actually been married for nearly five moons now. Far longer than their engagement. It was best if he continued to believe it was simply a matter of a discrete romance.

Lorenz watched Byleth carefully as she walked toward the door now, inwardly assessing that she was not teetering at all. “Yes, quite admirable that you should put the concerns of the cost of such an affair ahead of the usual desires for a grand celebration for a bride. And not just a bride, but the Queen,” he added.

“Well, you know me, Lorenz. Just a commoner at heart,” she teased. Extending her hand, she smiled as he accepted it with a bow. 

“Please, contact me as soon as you are ready to discuss any ideas for compromise. I trust that you will remain open minded and ready to put pen to document.”

“We will talk very soon,” she assured him. Her eyes watched him disappear around the corner as her brows furrowed in bewildered thought over her brief wave of feeling rather light headed. Walking to her desk, she gathered the documents he had brought while she considered that she must have gotten up too fast and hadn’t had her usual afternoon refreshment. No tea, no snack, hunger was surely culprit here.

Knowing Seteth had a schedule that was going to make it dark before he was done, Byleth decided to share a meal with Alois before settling in for the night. Pulling on her nightgown, she grabbed a napkin stuffed with cookies and sat on the bed as she looked over Lorenz’s policy proposals. Blindly reaching a hand toward the cookies, she frowned as she looked to find she had already finished all of them as she had been so absorbed in her ideas for expanding some of Lorenz’s ideas. A smile touched her lips as she heard the door click and looked up.

Seteth entered the room with an apologetic smile. “Hello, sweetheart. I am sorry to be so late,” he offered as he bolted the door before making his way to the bed to lean over and press a kiss to her lips as she tipped her head upward.

“Did things not go as you planned?”

“Everything went very well,” he answered as he began to undress. “This village is well recovered now and its residents eager to grow and expand. They have many ideas.”

“That is good news,” she answered as she watched him pull off his boots. “I trust they fed you dinner?” 

“Yes, I ate,” he answered. Stripped to his boxers, he turned to lift his jacket and reached into the pocket to retrieve a small bag. “What are you busy with there?” he asked as he walked toward her, his eyes watching her shift over on the bed a bit more while she stacked the documents.

“These are policy suggestions and growth plans that Lorenz brought.” She watched Seteth as he settled into the bed next to her and rested back on the headboard. “They are actually quite good, sound ideas. I just have a few things I am pausing to consider. Actually, a few of these ideas may even be quite beneficial to the village you were just visiting.”

“Lorenz was always quite a bright student,” Seteth recalled. “One just needed to look past his rather arrogant demeanor.”

Her eyes moved now to the small bag in his hand. “What have you got?”

He smiled at her. “I thought you might like a bit of a treat,” he said as he opened the bag and tipped it toward her. 

“Oh! You brought me candy!” She dipped her hand into the bag and popped a piece into her mouth closing her eyes as the sweetness spread on her tongue. “So good,” she crooned. “Thank you.”

“You are most welcome,” he said happily accepting her kiss as she leaned against him. His arm wrapped around her as she continued to rest against him rather than sit back up. He watched her reach out to push documents over to the side of the bed now as she yawned. “Tired?”

“Very, but I want to spend some time with you,” she said as she tipped her head upward to claim another kiss. 

Seteth slowly moved to shift them down into the bed, nestling her against him. “You are with me, sweetheart,” he softly said against her forehead as he held her. “We can talk tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Manuela!” Byleth said as she got up, a smile stretching her face. “I know you have been considering leaving the monastery to explore new avenues for yourself, but I really hope you will stay.”

“Well, I can’t very well leave now, can I?” Manuela walked toward the door with Byleth as she continued, “Not that I had any concrete plans to speak of anyway. Besides, that old man across the hall has grown on me a bit.”

Byleth couldn’t help chuckling as she considered how much Hanneman and Manuela fussed with each other but everyone close to them knew there was much more going on between them, even if they were dragging their feet. “Well, I know that he would be rather lost without you here.”

“Thank you for the thought, but he would undoubtedly just plug along with his research without a second thought.” A contemplative brow lifted. “Or would he,” she slowly said as she opened the door. “Anyway, you just go about your days as usual and everything should be fine. If you need anything at all, you know where to find me.”

Byleth stepped out in the hall and paused for a moment as she tried to calculate where Seteth might be. “His schedule is always so complicated and busy,” she grumbled to herself. Doubting that she would be able to find him, she decided that she would just have to wait to talk to him until he came to find her. Her forehead furrowed in disappointment, how on earth would she be able to do anything constructive until then?

Turning toward the audience chamber, she noticed Seteth as he exited the advisory room and bolted toward him, thankful that the dress she was wearing was not full skirted and completely to the floor as to hinder her movement. 

Seteth’s eyes rounded as she bounded toward him with no indication whatsoever that she was going to slow down. He had no choice but to brace himself as she threw herself against him. His hands coming to rest against her hips to steady her while he maintained his own balance. His eyes quickly noted the few surprised spectators in the hall now giggling as they stared. “Byleth,” he said in a quieted tone as he directed his attention to her beaming face while she released her hold on him just enough to look at him. “There are people, staring.”

She moved to grab his hand now and pulled him toward the advisory room as she acknowledged the few people smiling and talking amongst themselves. “Sorry, please excuse us,” she said as she continued to pull him along.

“Byleth,” Seteth began as soon as they were clear of the amused eyes that had been watching, “what are you doing? You cannot just…” his words were stifled by her fingers lifting to softly rest against his lips.

“Seteth,” she stared up at him with eyes sparkling with joy, “I’m pregnant.” His mouth slightly dropped open as she removed her fingers, and she nodded.

His arms closed around her, pulling into a tight embrace. “This is…this is wonderful news,” he said against her head as he held her, forgetting his usual discipline of keeping any displays of affection restricted to their room. Relaxing his hold, he looked at her. “You are sure?”

She nodded. “Manuela confirmed it.” 

His eyes took a moment to wander over her face before he briefly pressed his lips to hers. “A baby,” he whispered. “I love you,” he silently mouthed as a smile touched his lips.

“I love you, Seteth,” she silently replied.


	8. Chapter 8

Byleth held Seteth’s hand against her slightly rounded belly, pressing it a bit tighter in hopes the flutter of kicking would happen again. Just as her lower lip pouted out in disappointment that the moment had passed, she felt it and looked at him with a smile. “Feel it?”

Seteth nodded. “Just slightly, but I do feel it.”

“I know you have been through this before, but it is all so new and exciting to me,” Byleth said as she stared up at him.

His expression softened as he looked at her. “Byleth, sharing this with you is as if it were new all over again. It has been centuries since I had this pleasure and honor. You have to know how thrilled I am to be going through this very special event with you.”

“I have such a hard time with the “centuries” part of your sentence,” she admitted as she looked at him. “Looking at you, being with you, I struggle to wrap my head around who you really are. How old you really are.” The fluttering happening again made her smile. “But none of that matters. I love you, Seteth, and we have a little life that we made together making their little presence known.”

“That we do.” He slid his hand around her now and pulled her close. “I cannot possibly begin to explain how joining my life with yours has made me feel whole again, as if some small part of me that I never realized was lost, has been put back. I do love you so.” His hand captured her chin to tip it upward so he could kiss her, but he hesitated as he saw a tear cascading from her eye. 

A shoulder lifted as she stared up at him. “Hormones?” She shook her head. “No. You say the most amazing things to me at times, I just feel overwhelmed by it.” 

He bonded his lips to hers as he gathered her closer. “I always mean every word. You know,” he said now as he rested his forehead against hers, “you are making me late in starting my day.”

“My apologies,” she softly stated. “Blame it all on your little one.”

Byleth walked around the grounds of the monastery while talking to a few visitors and inspecting the renovations, inwardly pleased that so much had been done. Nearly at completion, it would not be long before they seriously consider if the Academy should be ready to open to students. 

She had an appointment to meet with Ignatz and was looking forward to seeing him again. Since he had managed to make quite a name for himself as an artist, she wanted to speak with him about possibly painting some murals on a few of the walls here and there to add some color and life to the property since it was more of a small village now than it was a large church-run property.

As she walked out of the greenhouse, she couldn’t help smiling at a familiar face now heading in her direction. “Ignatz,” she greeted as she extended her hand to him.

“Your Majesty,” he said as he took her hand with a bow. “I was so honored to get the invitation to meet with you.”

“Ignatz, please. I am still the same person I was when the war ended.” She reclaimed her hand and rested it on her rounded belly. “You are welcome here anytime, and I insist you call me Byleth.”

“Yes, ma’am, though it will be a bit awkward for me,” he admitted as he smiled at her. “You look beautiful,” he complimented now. “Apparently, married life with Seteth has suited you, and now a baby on the way.”

“Still have a couple moons yet to wait, but we are very happy,” she offered. “In fact, we will probably see Seteth at some point as we walk around the property.” She looked at him now. “I hear you married Rafael’s sister, Maya.”

“Yes. I was hoping she would come with me, but she had another obligation to see to.” He glanced at Byleth as they walked. “She is a very talented artist and needed to complete a piece for a customer.” A smile grew on his face as he looked at the building housing their old classrooms. “It is thrilling to be here again and see how it has been almost completely restored.”

“Just about,” Byleth said now. “Which is why I wanted to talk to you. I have heard that you are getting quite a bit of notoriety for your paintings.”

“Really? You have heard this?” Ignatz walked beside her now as they made their way across the property. “I am flattered. Did you want a painting or two to hang?”

“Actually, I was hoping we could commission you for some murals.” She couldn’t help laughing at his obvious shock, the look on his face striking her as rather comical. “Are you okay?”

“My…my apologies, I just can’t believe you are asking me to be a part of such a major project as this restoration.” He couldn’t help staring at her. “Are you sure you want me for this?”

“Of course,” she quickly replied. “You have such a passion for art, Ignatz, and we know that you would do a wonderful job because you have a connection to this place.” She smiled now as a memory came to mind. “It seems to me that you once talked about a mural depicting the end of the war, or something along those lines.” She waved a dismissing hand. “Of course, I am not remotely suggesting a pictorial of the war be emblazoned on the walls.”

“Oh, but I would so enjoy doing an art piece of you in tribute to all you did for us and bringing the war to an end. We couldn’t have managed without you, you know.” He looked at her as he continued, “It wasn’t until you reunited with Claude and we all came back together here with Knights that everything began to change to our favor.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Seteth said as he joined them, extending his hand to Ignatz. “It is good to see you again.”

“You, too, Seteth,” Ignatz greeted. 

“There will be no huge mural of my likeness on any of these walls,” Byleth stated flatly. She couldn’t help noticing a little girl hesitantly approaching them with a bouquet of flowers. Smiling, Byleth turned to watch her approach, glancing up at a woman that was clearly her mother. “Hello,” she greeted as she took a step toward the little girl.

The child stopped in front of Byleth and curtsied. “Um, Your Majesty, I have these flowers for you,” she quietly said as she held out the colorful blooms clutched in her hand.

“They’re beautiful,” Byleth said as she took them. “What is your name?”

“Um, it’s Marcie,” she said in a near whisper.

“Well, thank you very much, Marcie.” Her eyes lifted from the child to the woman standing off to the side. Byleth lifted her hand and waved to her before looking back at the dark-haired little girl. “These are very special flowers since I got them from you, and I will be sure to put them in water and keep them where I can see them.”

Marcie beamed up at Byleth a moment before she turned and ran to her mother. Byleth watched her as she rejoined her mother before turning back and smiling at Seteth. “How adorable was that?”

Seteth couldn’t help smiling. “She was thrilled to speak with you.” He glanced at Ignatz, “Perhaps, we should move to a less busy area so you two can continue your business. I have a feeling once news travels that Byleth is out here receiving gifts, it will only become more crowded, and you two will get nothing accomplished.”

Byleth looked at Ignatz as she lifted the bouquet in her hand and inhaled the perfume of the flowers. “He is right. Sometimes, I am out here talking to people half the day. In all honesty, being on my feet that long now only makes them swell.”

“Shall we?” Seteth said as he led the way back to Byleth’s office. Once there, he said, “I will leave you two to finish your discussion.” 

“He tends to look for me if he knows I have gone out to walk around just so he can usher me back in,” Byleth said. “Although, he likes when I mingle and listen to the people that come here, he worries if the crowd gets too large and I don’t have any knights with me.”

“Well, that is understandable,” Ignatz said. “I did enjoy seeing that interaction with Marcie. You are just as amazing now as you were when you taught us.”

“And you exaggerate.” Byleth decided to direct the conversation back to business. “At any rate, would you take on the project of the murals?”

“I would be honored to do it, if you are sure you don’t want to see other artist’s work first.”

Byleth shook her head. “I’m not interested in doing that. So, perhaps you could do a few sketches of ideas for a couple of the big walls outside and perhaps a couple of small ones for interior walls instead of a traditional wall hanging? Then, we can meet again and decide which we like the best. Sound okay?”

“Of course! I will get to work as soon as I get home and send the sketches on.”

“Perfect.”

Seteth stood behind Byleth as they enjoyed the clear evening sky full of stars, his arms wrapped around her with his hands resting on her belly. It was little moments such as this one that he found he greatly enjoyed and gave him a sense of peace he felt he had been missing in his life. A smile tugged his lips as he felt their baby moving under his hand. “As much as I enjoy stargazing with you, I think we should go in before you catch a chill,” he softly said against her head as he rested his cheek against her.

“You’re right,” she sighed. “I have been on my feel long enough.” Inside, Byleth took a minute, before pulling her nightgown on, to study her reflection in the floor-length mirror. Turning to the side, she tipped her head a bit to observe her changing profile, inwardly amused by how her body seemed to her to be the same as always except for her belly.

Tying his pajama pants at his waist, Seteth looked at her and chuckled. “You are still beautiful. Perhaps, even more so.”

Byleth pulled her nightgown over her head. “Isn’t it funny that everything else is pretty much just as always except for this,” she said as her hands held her belly. “I mean it isn’t like I am getting fat all over.” She looked down. “Well, maybe these are getting bigger, too,” she said as she grabbed her breasts.

Seteth’s brow lifted now as she frowned down at her breasts. “There is still a bit of time yet. You will get only bigger from this point on and at a quicker pace.” He walked to the bed and sat down, watching her as she walked toward him. “I am afraid your days of trying to sneak off to spar with members of the Knights are over for a while.”

“Yeah, I will miss the exercise,” she said as she stood between his knees and lifted her hands to his shoulders. “It seems odd to not take a sword to hand at all,” she slowly admitted. “Maybe, just—”

“No,” he interrupted. “As gifted as you are with your weapon and ability to avoid incoming attacks, the chance for an unintentional stumble or injury is too great. Also, Alois will not allow any knights to train with you.”

She frowned at the thought. “Fine,” she pouted as she hiked up her nightgown and crawled onto Seteth’s lap, a knee on each side of him. “Then you will have to see what you can do about extra pent-up energy I have.” She lowered to bond her lips to his, softly humming in pleasure as his arms came around her. “I think you are on the right track,” she murmured against his lips. “Keep going.”

Feeling his desire for her rising, his fingers began to bunch her nightgown into his palms until he lifted it to pull it over her head. His arms wrapped around her to pull her closer. Hungrily accepting her kiss, his tongue forced its way between her teeth to taste her. He felt her rock her hips as she continued to straddle him and moved a hand between them to jerk the tie of his pajama pants free. It was as if she had a power about her that completely entranced him like a mage casting a spell, and he loved her more and more with each passing day.

Byleth’s hands pushed against his chest, and she smiled as he fell back on the bed. Her eyes dropped to his pajama pants, even untied, not allowing her the complete access she wanted. She reached down and pulled them a bit until she got the prize she was seeking, allowing one hand to slowly drift over his hardening appendage as she stared down at him. She softly hummed as he looked up at her and sighed in pleasure.

Seteth’s eyes watched while she maneuvered herself over him as he rested back. A soft moan escaped his lips as she held him before slowly lowering herself to take in his full length. His hands drifted over her thighs as she rocked her hips against his. He was satisfied to simply allow her to have the control tonight. The fingers of his left hand slightly pressed into her leg while those of his right pushed between them to begin a task of their own.

Enjoying the feel of him touching her, she shifted her position a bit to allow him better access of her hardened nub as she slowly moved over him. Her soft sighs began to fill the room as her eyes closed, her head tipping back while her hands rested on his lower ribcage. As she felt her muscles contracting, she felt the baby move and momentarily wondered what it was feeling, if anything. Looking down at Seteth now, she began to work a heavier rhythm while he continued to massage her closer to her climax. 

Tipping his head, he looked down to watch their coupling as he felt her muscles begin to spasm in release as she let out a steady moan of pleasure. Moving his hand to her thigh, he shifted his gaze to hers while she moved enough to allow herself a better position and balance as she picked up her steady rhythm. She felt amazing. The pace she set was nothing short of electrifying as she moved to bury him deeply inside of her warmth over and over again until that moment when he exploded within her, his hands gripping her tightly to hold her steady as he expelled every last drop.

As they settled themselves against each other to sleep, Seteth once again, silently thanked the Goddess and all divine forces for bringing her to him. He brushed his lips against her forehead, as she rested against him, content in the life he was now living.


	9. Chapter 9

Byleth stared at the sketches Ignatz had sent over as Seteth pinned each one up on the board in his office so she could see them. Each one was as good as the first, she decided. Eliminating any of them was going to be difficult. Her eyes carefully studied each one, delighting in the artistic talent and composition on each one. As Seteth put up the last one, her mouth dropped open as she stared at it. 

“This one, of course, is my favorite due to the focused subject,” Seteth stated now. 

The sketch was one that depicted the day she was presented the flowers from the little girl on the day she had met with Ignatz. He had drawn Byleth, taking the flowers from the child in the foreground with hints of people and landscaping in the background. The child’s mother was clearly etched in the near background behind the child on one side with Seteth in Byleth’s background on the other. 

“I don’t know what to say,” Byleth quietly stated as she moved closer to the sketch to study it. “It’s lovely, but I can’t have this on a building outside.”

“Why not? It depicts you as you are with the people that come to see you. Even the children,” Seteth pointed out. “As the ruler of the dawn of the United Kingdom of Fodlan, it is a beautiful tribute to you. I hope you will reconsider.”

Her brows lowered as she looked at the sketches. “They are all wonderful in their own way, aren’t they?” She turned to Seteth now. “I know. Let’s leave them here and see what Manuela, Hanneman, Alois, and Cyril think as well.”

“Fair enough,” Seteth agreed. “In the meantime, shall we send a message to Ignatz that he should arrange to come and begin at his convenience? I will, of course, tell him to inform us of supplies he needs and arrange to have them purchased and brought in.”

Byleth nodded as she looked over the sketches again. “He really is quite talented, even with rough sketches,” she stated. “They will be just perfect with the colors and life he will put into them. I can hardly wait until he splashes a whole new perspective into the renovation with color.” 

“I agree, it will be a nice addition.”

She drew a deep breath and turned to the door. “Well, I need to see Manuela, so I will tell her to come and have a look as soon as she gets a chance.” Her hand lifted to lightly touch his cheek before walking to the door. “See you later.”

Byleth glanced up from her book as she rested in bed, propped up with several pillows, to Seteth as he continued to sit at his desk that was set up across the room. Dressed in pajamas, his head was resting on his hand as he stared ahead. It was not unusual for him to spend time busy writing new fables, but tonight it seemed as if he were doing more day dreaming than actually writing. Her hand unconsciously moved to press against a tiny foot that was uncomfortably pushing from the inside outward. Only a couple of weeks and you’ll be out, she silently told the little one.

“You seem rather pre-occupied,” she finally said now as she set her book aside.

Seteth hesitated a moment before he turned to look at her. “I am sorry,” he said. “Where you speaking to me?” he asked as he turned a bit in his chair to look at her. 

“I was saying that you seem pre-occupied this evening. Doing not so much writing as you are staring off into space.”

He drew a deep breath and let it slowly drift from his nostrils as he considered the thoughts in his mind lately. “It is that apparent?”

An uncomfortable feeling began to creep over her. “I’m afraid to ask what is troubling you,” she admitted softly. “But I have to know.”

Getting up, he walked over to the fireplace and placed another log on it before pausing to stare at the fire as it slowly moved over the new fuel. He did need to speak with her, yet how could he launch this topic without making his concern seem, perhaps, foolish in her eyes. He turned and looked at her now as she continued to rest back on her pillows. So heavy with child now, she looked a bit uncomfortable and his heart went out to her. Despite her size, she admirably went about her days as usual with no complaints whatsoever. 

“Seteth, please, talk to me,” she softly pleaded.

Walking to the bed, he carefully moved to sit beside her, re-adjusting the pillows a bit to accommodate himself better. “I am sorry if I am causing you any distress with my actions, sweetheart. I am just pre-occupied with a personal concern I have allowed to move to the forefront of my thoughts.” His hand took hers, lacing his fingers with hers as he lifted it to press a kiss to the back of her hand.

“I don’t want to pry, Seteth, but if you are having any worries or second thoughts about anything, you need to tell me so we can work this out together.” Her eyes wandered over his face as they had so many times, but tonight she could see worry reflecting in it like she had not seen in some time.

“Second thoughts?” He could not believe that she was thinking along these lines. “Byleth, you have to know how much I love you, how much I cherish our union.” His fingers tightened on hers. “I am so sorry if my actions have led you to think otherwise. Never have I had any second thoughts.”

The hint of a smile touched her lips. “I didn’t want to think that way, but you are usually so open with sharing your thoughts and concerns with me,” she softly stated as she frowned and pushed against the stubborn kicking.

Seteth placed his hand against her belly now and smiled as he felt the little foot pushing against his hand. “Apparently, this little one is stretching a bit tonight. Perhaps, getting better into position to join us.”

Byleth smiled. “Well, I wouldn’t argue with that move at all.” Her eyes met his now. “But, back to you and your obvious concern over something. I won’t push you to talk about it if you would rather not, but I hope you will.”

“You might think my worry is rather silly, but it troubles me all the same.” His hand softly drifted over her stomach a moment. “I have been concerned about the birth of our baby,” he admitted. “What if the baby has…” he hesitated a moment as he considered how silly it may sound to say aloud, but continued, “has ears like mine?”

Byleth’s brows shot up. “Oh! I hadn’t even considered that.”

“Surely, you understand that I cannot reveal my own. The questions and implications may pose a threat.” He slowly shook his head. “I just do not know how to handle this. I am afraid I am at a loss.” His brows furrowed. “I do not care for this feeling of an impending uproar surrounding our baby.”

Byleth’s silently gnawed on the inside of her lower lip as her mind worked over his concern. It wasn’t a situation that was solely his to deal with, nor was it just some frivolous concern. He had a point. There was a reason to be troubled for sure. “I understand your concerns,” she softly stated while her mind worked. “It would be something that cannot be easily ignored.”

His sigh of relief that he was not just dealing with idiotic concerns of his own, was audible as it expelled from his lungs. “I am rather relieved that you do not think this a silly worry.”

“Not at all. What if,” she slowly began as her finger tapped against his hand still resting on her belly, “we use me as the excuse.”

“You? You do not have pointed ears, Byleth.”

She softly chuckled. “I know I don’t have pointed ears, Seteth. What I do have, is a bizarre set of circumstances around me.” She readjusted her position a bit now as her mind worked. “You didn’t know my mother, did you? You got here after my birth?”

“Correct, I did not meet your mother. I arrived after your birth. I did not arrive to the monastery until 1162. You were reportedly born 1159 according to your father’s diary.”

“Perfect. So, you don’t know if my mother had pointed ears.”

He stared at her now, understanding her train of thought. It was brilliant, of course. His hand wrapped around her nape, pulling her so he could kiss her. “You never fail to disappoint me.”

“Hmmmm, history of when I first met you may prove differently, but that is an argument for another day,” she teased. “Back to the subject at hand. If this baby is born with pointed ears, it is because my mother’s ears were pointed, and therefore, inherited from her. Not to mention the transformation I went through. Anyone will believe it is solely due to me and not you.” She smiled now. “Pointed ears.” Her hand lifted so she could push back Seteth’s hair and look at his ear. “I love it. How adorable would it be for our baby to have pointed ears.”

Seteth regarded her carefully for a long moment. “You may think so, but the novelty of such a thing may be a source of ridicule and teasing for a child in a world where this is no longer normal.” He watched her face pull in anger. “Do not get yourself angered for something that has not or may not happen.”

“I will not tolerate our child being teased.” She smiled. “They will be a prince or princess, after all.”

“Byleth,” he began slowly, “I do have to tell you that should this baby be born with obvious Nabetean traits, there will be the need to be prepared for possible threats.”

“You are thinking about the Agarthans.” She watched him nod. “But we took care of that. Rhea gave up her life to be sure they were destroyed, and we dealt with the others, including Nemesis and the Elites.”

“Did we?” Seteth held her eyes with his. “We cannot be sure that all were destroyed. There is no guarantee that none survived. Unfortunately, there is always that chance of impeding peril about us.”

The realization that Seteth had spent many of his years with Flayn hiding and isolated due to threats against them if the truth of their true identities were discovered, tugged at her and became very real all of a sudden. “I think I finally fully understand how you must have felt those years ago when Flayn was taken by the Death Knight,” she softly stated. “How truly frightening that must have been for you.”

He nodded. “To go through such a thing again. Well, I am not sure I am strong enough to endure such a situation as that again.”

“We cannot spend our lives hiding, Seteth,” she said as she reached out and rested her hand on his cheek. “No matter if our baby is born with the dark hair I once had or a shade of green, pointed ears or not, we will deal with anything that may arise together.” She smiled now as her eyes widened. “What if our baby gains the power to transform.”

Seteth shook his head in disbelief. “Byleth, please. You are not helping me to deal with my concerns but adding to them. Chances of that are very slim.”

“I’m sorry.” She attempted to lean closer to him now and smiled as he met her more than halfway to bond his lips to hers. “I love you,” she murmured against his lips before kissing him again.

“And I love you,” he said as he gathered her against him. “I suppose there is no use worrying about these many things until the little one is born.”

“True.”

“Hmmm, I will have to speak with Manuela,” he stated now. “She has a couple of nurses from a nearby hamlet settling in to assist her with the birth. I will need to express to her how important it will be to keep details other than the announcement of the actual birth and sex of the baby in strict confidence. She must impress this upon these nurses without fail.”

“Everything will be fine,” Byleth said now as she relaxed against him. “Just fine. You’ll see.”


	10. Chapter 10

Byleth smiled as she noticed Ignatz approaching with a rather pretty blonde holding his hand, no doubt this was Maya. “Hello, Ignatz,” she greeted as soon as they had closed the gap. “This must be Maya.” 

“Hello, Byleth,” Ignatz said with a bow before introducing his wife. “Yes, this is my wife, Maya. I hope you don’t mind that I brought her along to assist me with the murals since they will take some time.”

Byleth smiled at the woman as she curtsied in respect. “Of course, not. It is a pleasure to meet you. We all heard so much about you from Rafael, and please, there is no need for the formalities.”

The woman blushed now. “I am so honored to meet you, Your Majesty. I have heard a great deal about you from my brother and from Ignatz.” She smiled. “I can’t believe I am actually getting to meet you.”

“I can just imagine the exaggerated stories you heard from them,” Byleth said with a chuckle. “And, please, just call me Byleth.” She watched Maya’s eyes widen. “If you are going to be here for a while helping with the beautification of our home village here, I can’t very well allow you to be so formal. Especially since Ignatz is kind of like family to me since we went through so much together. Rafael included.”

She looked at Ignatz. “I hope that we aren’t over burdening you with the decision to use all of the sketches you sent here. Even though my vote of not emblazoning my image on the wall was voted down.”

“Oh, on the contrary, I am flattered that you liked them all so much.” He watched Byleth draw a slow deep breath and slowly let it out. “Are you all right?”

Byleth lifted a dismissing hand. “I’m fine. Just ready for this little one to get out of me and into the world. I keep hearing the words “any time now, Byleth” and “just be patient”. All the while, I can’t breathe properly or see my feet.”

Maya couldn’t help chuckling and pressed her hand to her lips. “Beg your pardon, I do not mean any disrespect,” she softly said.

“No need for apologies, Maya,” Byleth stated now. “I know I would probably find it all amusing myself if it wasn’t me dealing with it.” She looked at Ignatz now. “You aren’t really going to start today, are you? It’s rather late in the day.”

“Oh, no. We just wanted to check the supplies that were brought in, and I wanted to show Maya around so we could decide where to start first. Seteth met us earlier and showed us where everything was being stored and allowed us to pick a room on the second-floor dormitory to stay in.”

“Good. Let me guess, you probably decided to take Claude’s old room.”

Ignatz smiled now. “How did you know?”

“Just a guess. The first floor is housing a few residents that have yet to go back to their own villages for one reason or another.” Byleth frowned now as she considered this situation. “We are going to have to figure out how to deal with them if we plan to open the Academy,” she muttered to herself. “Can’t very well just throw them out.” Realizing she had been rambling to herself she chuckled. “Excuse me while I just babble. You two feel free to make yourselves at home. If you need anything at all, just let us know.”

“Thank you. I am going to take Maya over to the dining hall and then around the greenhouse before we retire for the evening so we can begin first thing in the morning.”

Maya smiled at Byleth with a brief dip of a curtsy. “An honor to meet you. I hope we get to talk some more while I am here.”

“Count on it,” Byleth said. “See you two later.” She watched them walk away before deciding she wanted nothing more than to go up to her room and lay down. With a bit of luck, she would be able to sneak off without too much interruption.

Seteth slowly opened the door to their room and frowned as he noticed Byleth laying on the bed, still fully dressed. Luckily, he had not had to search for her since Manuela mentioned that she had seen her heading for the stairway to their room. Crossing the room, he reached down and pulled off her shoes, smiling as she stirred and looked at him. 

“Hi,” she offered quietly. “I hope I didn’t worry you by sneaking off.”

He sat down next to her now. “Manuela told me that she saw you heading up,” he informed as he lightly brushed his fingers across her hair. “Are you feeling all right? Should I have dinner brought up?”

Her brows drew together. “I’m okay, but I’m not really hungry.”

Seteth’s brows drew together as he considered this piece of information. In all the time he had known her, she was always ready for meals and snacks. “Are you sure? I can get you some soup or something light.”

She considered this for a moment. “Maybe, some broth? I can sip on it while you have dinner.”

He nodded now. “All right. Just relax. I will be back soon.”

While Seteth was gone, she took the time to slowly undress and pulled on the only nightgown she could actually fit into. She settled herself in a chair and smiled as Seteth came in with the tray. “That didn’t take long. Either that, or I was just seriously slow trying to change.”

He chuckled as he handed her a cup of broth and set a plate with some bread on it on a table next to her. “It didn’t take long. I opted to have a bowl of stew, so it was an easy meal to grab quickly.” 

Seteth was disappointed that she didn’t drink all of the broth before she wanted to just lay down again. To keep an eye on her, he decided to spend a bit of time writing before finally feeling tired enough to settle next to her. She seemed to be sleeping soundly as he came to rest next her, and he eventually drifted off while just listening to her steady breathing.

Byleth softly grunted as she felt the discomfort again. There was no mistaking it this time. She was sure she was in early labor and wondered how long she should let it go before she woke Seteth. Perhaps, it would be a while before that would be necessary, she decided. Besides, it wasn’t as if they had very far to go for the delivery. Could be hours yet. Sucking a slow, deep breath, she closed her eyes and waited.

Falling asleep off and on, Byleth knew things were slowly progressing now and decided it was time to let Seteth know. She slowly rolled over and looked at him through the glow from the fire place. “Seteth,” she softly called while her hand lifted to his shoulder. As his eyes slowly opened, she said, “I’m in labor.”

He lifted his head and looked at her. “Are you sure? How long?” He pushed further up and rested his hand on her abdomen.

“I’m sure. It’s been a while, slowly getting a bit more intense.” Her brows drew together as she began to feel the cramping once again. “And it is cramping again,” she grunted while closing her eyes against the discomfort.

Seteth nodded. “I feel it,” he said as he could feel her muscles tightening. After patiently waiting while she worked through her discomfort, he dropped a kiss to her lips before rolling to get up. “I’ll go wake Manuela and come back for you.” He looked at her as he pulled on his trousers. “I will only be a moment.” Heading to the door, he grabbed a shirt and shrugged into it as he pulled the door open and headed to Manuela’s room.

Drawing a steady breath, Byleth moved to the edge of the bed and sat up. All she needed to do, was grab her robe and prepare to go to delivery. A smile touched her lips now as she stood up. By this time tomorrow, they would have a baby. Her eyes shifted to the cradle in the corner. Finally, their baby would be here. Walking over to the chair in front of the fireplace, she picked up her robe and just barely got it over her shoulders when pain began to grip her again. 

Opening the door, Seteth’s eyes fell on Byleth as she leaned against the back of the chair, her fingers gripping into the upholstery as she softly growled against her discomfort. “Sweetheart,” he began as he quickly crossed the room and rested an arm around her, “try to focus your mind on a good thought.”

She tipped her head against him, feeling a sense of comfort in just hearing his voice. With the pain fading she released the back of the chair to turn and wrap her arms around him. “This part is not fun at all,” she grumbled.

“No, it is not,” Seteth agreed as he carefully held her. “I am sorry that I can do nothing at all to help you. This part is not an easy one for you, my love.” Brushing a kiss to her cheek, he released her so he could look at her. “Are you ready to go?” She nodded and he leaned in to softly kiss her. “Know that I love you, my Byleth. I also want you to remember that I will not be far from you. Ever.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

“I say,” Hanneman began as he looked out his office at Seteth, who had been pacing the hallway for a good hour, “you are going to wear a groove in the floor that will likely become a hazard.”

Seteth paused a moment to look at Hanneman, frowning as he heard Byleth’s groaning from behind the door to Manuela’s infirmary. “You do realize that I posted guards to keep anyone from coming into this area.”

“Yes, yes. So, I should feel special because I am allowed to be in my own office,” Hanneman stated now. “Honestly, I have heard many moans, groans, swearing, and crying coming from that room over the years. Especially during the war time.” He rubbed his fingers on his chin now as he thought a moment. “In fact, I can recall a rather nasty injury Byleth received at one time. The angry barrage of words falling from her mouth as Claude assisted her to the infirmary was enough to make even her father blush.”

Seteth stared at Hanneman now as he recalled the incident and the reprimand he had given her for her behavior in front of the students. Thinking back on it now, he smiled as he recalled Byleth simply standing in front of him and silently taking in the scolding without so much as an argumentative word passing her lips. “Yes, I remember.”

His head turned to the door of the infirmary now as he began to hear a baby’s cry and the sounds of the women’s voices, though he couldn’t make out their words. “The baby is here,” he sighed.

“Well, congratulations, Seteth,” Hanneman said as he extended his hand. “You know, I cannot wait to see what kind of a crest, if any, this child has.”

Seteth frowned now. “You will refrain from using our child as a test subject.”

Hanneman let out a sigh of defeat. “I figured you would protest. After all, you wouldn’t even allow me to study Flayn.”

The door opened and the nurse, Patrice, stepped out closing the door behind her. “Manuela asked me to let you know that the baby is here and Her Majesty is doing just fine. You will be able to see them once we get things settled and Lucy checks the baby over.” Her eyes widened. “Oh! I almost forgot! You have a son.”

“Thank you,” Seteth softly uttered. He looked at Hanneman as the woman disappeared behind the door again. “A son.”

It seemed to take forever before Manuela finally opened the door to let her nurses out. “Well, congratulations, Seteth,” Manuela said with a smile. “It was truly a wonderful experience to bring this baby into the world. He is a fine, healthy little one.” Manuela’s brow lifted now. “I believe Byleth has something to discuss with you regarding a bit of an unusual trait the baby has, but she seems quite thrilled. Anyway, you can go in. I will be back to check on her in a bit and bring her something to eat. Then, she will need some time to rest.”

“Thank you, Manuela. For everything,” he said before stepping passed her to see Byleth resting back on a stack of pillows and smiling at him as she held a small bundle. 

“Seteth! He is beautiful!” Byleth gushed as she stared down at the baby while Seteth slowly sat on the edge of the bed. She slowly handed the swaddled bundle to him and then slowly opened the blanket around his head to reveal a cloud of dark green hair and ears with a hint of a point. 

“I…I am speechless,” he slowly managed as he stared at the small baby. 

“Because he is perfect?” she prompted. “Even with those adorable little ears?”

Seteth nodded as he pried his eyes from his son to look at her. “He is perfect. You, are perfect.” He looked back at the baby now, his hand moving to slowly open the blanket a bit more to allow him to see tiny hands, balled in tight fists before he looked at Byleth again. “I love you. How are you feeling?”

“Wonderful, Seteth. I feel wonderful, and I love you.” The baby began to whimper and Byleth softly giggled. “It seems he has something to say as well. Our prince,” she sighed. “You are still fine with simply naming him Eisner?” 

“I am,” Seteth replied as he continued to simply stare at the infant in his arms. “My life has just become truly full again.” He looked at Byleth. “I owe it all to you. Thank you, my love.”


End file.
